


Snow Golden

by livetosail



Category: Original Work, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Angst, Body Language, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ice Skating, Illnesses, Lack of Communication, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Relationship(s), Romance, Russia, Shapeshifting, Shifter, Slow Build, omega!yuri, snow leopard - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:23:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livetosail/pseuds/livetosail
Summary: Alternate Universe- Yuri on Ice!! Yuri Plisetsky is a snow leopard shifter, and an ice skater. He knows there is a limited amount of time before everything changes. What no one knows yet it is that the fallout of those changes terrify him.





	1. Chapter 1

Cold air rushed his lungs, flooding his system with the necessary oxygen. Ahead of him was nothing but empty streets, but all Yuri cared for at the moment was reaching the training center. Sure, he could have asked coach to drive him but that meant less training. Running allowed him to arrive earlier than coach and be finished stretching by the time the others even started to arrive.

He scowled deeply as he put his bag down on the bench, keeping his phone jammed inside of his hoodie pocket. Today was supposed to be a rest day. Yuri had started to hate those, especially after spending hours working on his technique or lifting. Despite normally ignoring Yakov’s advice, Yuri finally was starting to feel as though he was reaching a somewhat acceptable level of skating. It was still too little too late though, considering how soon all of the competitions would be starting again. Thinking that left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that caused him to yank unnecessarily violently at his skates as he finished lacing them. This knew style would give him the win. He kept the hoodie as he slipped out onto the empty rink, enjoying its warmth for a bit longer as he warmed up. 

“Yuri, at least turn the lights on when you come in. Not everyone is a cat and can see in the dark.” Someone called eventually, but the blonde skater paid no attention. All he heard was the vocal tones over the blasting of his music through his ear buds. 

He flinched as the large lights above the rink flicked on. In truth, he had not touched them due to a roaring headache he had woken up with morning. His glare deepened as he wove across the ice, testing out the soreness and fatigue in his muscles before attempting some of jumps and spins. He certainly was more graceful now, though he would never admit to Yakov’s face that the time he’d spent with Lillia made a difference. 

Someone else stepped onto the ice. Yuri not only ignored them, but consciously evade them as the skater attempted to get his attention. 

“YURI!” Yakov had finally arrived apparently. The alpha stood at the edge of the ice, just staring the younger blonde. 

Yuri scowled as he pulled one headphone out, still standing in the center of ice rink. “What Yakov?”

The old man sighed. “I told you that you were not practicing today. Get off the ice. Your mother will be here shortly to take you to your appointment.” 

When Yuri did not move, Yakov scowled. “Get off the ice Yuri. I can see from here the tension from your headache in your shoulders. Until you get that under control, your practices are cancelled.” 

“Tch.” The blonde skater hated being called out. He glided forward, stopping just short of running into his coach, still scowling. “I already told you it’s under  
control. I do not need to see a doctor.” He growled out, still against missing a day of training. The argument fell the deaf ears. 

“Yuri.” The words were spoken sternly, causing an involuntary shiver down Yuri’s spine. 

“Whatever.” He muttered, brushing past his coach roughly and heading to his locker to change. 

\-------

Yuri zoned out as the doctor spoke with his mother. He stared at his phone, scrolling various sites rather than pay attention. The room itself held nothing interesting. 

“….likely that your son is about to present. I’d like to run a few tests on his blood, and see his shifted form. He should be shifting more. Forcing his other half away can cause physical illness…” The doctor was droning on. Yuri’s mother was listening rapidly, and shooting the blonde glares for not listening. 

“You don’t think it could just be overtraining? I read online that not all shifters have a secondary gender. My son is an athlete. The last thing he needs is the stress of a secondary gender.” Yuri frowned deeper. He did not want a secondary gender either, scowling at the doctor when instructed to remove his hoodie. 

The tests themselves were boring. If anything, it could have been a routine check-up. The chill of the room was barely felt after shifting into his snow leopard form. In truth, Yuri rarely shifted. It was partially due to the fact that snow leopard often sought out the physical attention Yuri refused to acknowledge. The large cat stretched lazily, eyeing the doctor before climbing onto the patient table again. The traitor spirit even started to purr softly well allowing the examination, which brought out a laugh form the doctor. After that, Yuri refused to transfer back to his human form until after leaving the doctors’ office.

The teen had been prescribed rest from his intense training schedule and to spend more time in his snow leopard form. The doctor believed it would relieve his headache, but would inform them if anything came up in the blood tests.

In the back seat of the car, Yuri finally shifted back. “Take me back to the rink.” Yuri scowled at his mother. 

“I thought we could go out for lunch.” His mother responded. 

“No.” Yuri muttered simply. “The ice rink. I do not want to eat with you, I need to train.”

He did not acknowledge any other attempt by his mother to tell him either the doctor’s order, or lunch. Yuri did stand silently off to the side as his mother discussed the outcome of the doctors’ visit with Yakov. None of the three were pleased with the possible of him presenting. 

“The doctor said his height and frame most likely means…” His mother was running her mouth again. Yuri stalked off to the locker room, slipping back into his skates and the ice. None of it mattered. None of it would matter. He had to take advantage of this time, and would win nationals.


	2. Anton

His headache worsened throughout the day. Training was truly a disaster. Too many falls. By dinner, Yuri was forced to wear sun glasses just to stand any amount of light. Strong smells made his stomach curl in a manner threatening him to lose what little he’d forced down. Sound was the worst though, as if some asshat was personally taking an ice pick to the left side of his skull. 

He snarled at Yakov, but retreated to the quiet and dark interior of his room. Shifting into his snow leopard form was the only way Yuri could find relief. He’d taken all the medicine Yakov would give but to no effect. The hot shower had done nothing either. Unhappily, Yuri curled in the center of his bed to wait out the headache. Eventually, an uneasy sleep overtook him.

\------

The beeping of his alarm made Yuri groan. At some point, he’d switched back to his human form last night. A twinge in the left side of his head gave him the most irritating reminder of the blinding headache he had sported for the past few days. Lazily, he stretched across the sheets. The loss of the pain made him feel frustratingly empty. 

The blonde ground his teeth together as he got up and started the day. The sun hadn’t even risen yet as he slipped out of the front door, but that hardly mattered. Today he had to make up for the mistakes he made yesterday in practice. Sure, he had never practiced this hard in the Junior competitions, but he had never thought of how the future would change his body before. Or how the changes would affect his status with his coach. If he lost favor in Yakov’s eyes, he could kiss his career good-bye. It was why last night, as pain radiated from his head and neck that Yuri promised himself to do whatever he had to in training to keep favor of Yakov. 

He had checked this morning to as the announcements of the Grand Prix. In truth, it had slipped his mind during the stress the pain of his migraine had caused. He smirked at the some of the assignments, at least decently pleased to see that he would be going against Yuuri in the Russian National Competitions. There would be the chance to show Victor that his choice to support Yuuri was wrong. 

The blonde was distracted enough by his thoughts on the way to training that he failed to notice a message from Lilia. He’d only just recently switched back over to training mainly under Yakov, as he’d received praise on his ability to match the skills of a Prima Ballerina. The message brought a scowl to his face though. Apparently, she wanted to continue to check in on his technique to ensure he stayed consistent. She also had ideas for his long program, which brought him a deeper scowl. His technique would be fine. Yuri ignored the text message. 

In truth, he attempted to ignore almost anything that he did not think important over the following months. He continued to learn aspects of ballet and work on his programs for the season. Practices occasionally were broken by fittings for costumes. His blonde hair grew longer, more often than not tied back to keep the soft strands from falling into his eyes during practice. His nights were spent curled in his room, often as a snow leopard. On those nights, Yuri would ensure his door was locked to stop himself from attempting to seek out comfort. 

Various aches and pains plagued him too. The most notable are as followed. During one particular practice, Yuri missed a jump due a cramp in his calf. He landed wrong, but was able to pass off the sprain for the remainder of practice. It took weeks for the swelling to disappear as the blonde refused to acknowledge the injury. 

His lower back often ached for no apparent reason. That was often the most irritating, as it made basically everything painful. No amount of stretching or pain killers relieved the pain

He missed meals due to random amounts of nausea or stomach pains. Though he knew it was partially due to the amounts of over-the-counter pain medication he took. The nausea was new, especially as it often formed after refusing training orders from Yakov. If it got bad enough during practice, Yuri often found himself following the wills of his coach. 

Constant exhaustion and fatigue seemed to follow the teen. The blonde resorted to coffee with sugar to make it through most days. Without the caffeine, he couldn’t make it through the grueling practice schedule he’d set up, let alone actually complete his school work. The blonde loathed that Yakov had made it part of his contract that the blonde would perform well in school in addition to skating. He would be a campion of the Grand Prix, school was just getting in the way of his practices. The only consolation was that his parents were allowing him to do school online. 

One particular morning, he found himself back in Lilia’s studio, stretching under her harsh gaze. The blonde startled a little as the door to the studio opened, and another teen walked in. Lilia greeted the other man briefly before instructing him to stretch as well. 

“I noticed that you are not confident off the ice, Yuri.” She said abruptly, causing the blonde to scowl at her. “Until you are completely confident in your skin, you will continue to fail to meet my standards.” Yuri did not want to be listening to this right now. 

“This is Anton. He is the top male ballerina in my studio. Anton excels at bringing out the sensual nature of dancing, and is extremely prideful. You will be practicing with him this morning, and every morning until I say stop.” Yuri’s heart wanted to stop. 

He glared at the other male for a moment, noticing that Anton was basically ignoring him as well. For once, the blonde was at an absolute lack of harsh responses to say. “I do not see how this will help my skating performances. I have nothing left to learn from extended lessons with you.” The words felt fake, even to Yuri’s ears.

“Back straight when you stretch.” Yuri felt his body shift in response to the words before realizing it was Anton speaking at him, commanding him. 

“I watched some of your practices over the past few days, on ice and off. Your posture is effected on ice by the fact that you slouch around off ice. Your chin is tilted down most of the time as you skate, though I know you don’t need to see where you are skating. Despite following through with the routines, you rarely are connecting to them emotionally.” Anton had walked closer as he spoke, verbally nailing each of Yuri’s flaws. The blonde couldn’t even respond when Anton came to stand behind him, reaching forward and pulling the hair tie out, the only thing keeping Yuri’s hair restrained. “You committed to Lilia’s training, and now you will commit to mine. Your false confidence is childish. I will teach you real confidence. Now, up. Since you are incompetent at stretching by yourself, I will aid your stretching.” 

It was enough of a shock that Yuri found himself standing, brushing his hair from his eyes but following Anton. There was no question about it- the other blonde male had to be an Alpha. 

“Don’t touch my hair.” He finally snapped, grabbing his hair tie from the floor and pushing his blonde strands back behind his head, securing them into place. For once, no stomach clenching or nausea came for back-talking the older male. 

Anton made a noise of irritation, but went to stand by one of the bars, waiting. “You’ll be more comfortable with yourself if you stop fighting it. I know you know that you look beautiful with your longer hair, feminine and petite, but you are pushing that away and need to stop. Now, come.” Anton snapped his fingers this time, pointing to the space directly in front of him. 

“Yuri, do as he says.” Lilia finally commented, her tone harsh. “Stop wasting Anton’s time.”

With that, the blonde male didn’t have much choice. Scowling, he allowed Anton to aid his stretching. The taller male was almost constantly adjusting his position or forcing him to stretch more deeply than ever. Once happy with the stretching, Anton began to run Yuri through drills. Anton did most of them with Yuri, but occasionally would make Yuri stop to fuss at his posture. Yuri couldn’t help but silently plead with himself to hope the lesson would end soon. Just as he thought it could not get any worse, it did. 

Anton had been once again aiding the smaller blonde with stretching when it clicked. “You’re an omega?” Yuri bit out, realizing what he was sensing. Anton just arched an eyebrow at that.

“I do not think you are in any position to be asking that, Yuri.” Lilia had stayed, occasionally consulting with Anton during the practice. Of course she would choose now to speak up. 

“I don’t mind.” Anton said softly, sitting next to Yuri. “It is nothing to be ashamed of. I presented basically five years ago, when I was thirteen. It was shortly after I gained my ability to shift. Lilia told you were a shifter as well, but have yet to present. Let me see your other form. Snow leopards are so rare.” Anton was smiling brightly.

“No.” Yuri stood, disgusted with Anton suddenly. 

Anton just shrugged. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow!” He nodded to Lilia before walking out, clearly having fulfilled his duties for now. 

\-----

That night, Yuri laid on his bed thinking about the day. He ran his fingers lightly through his own hair, working out the small knots that had formed along with helping the strands to dry. His phone hosted nothing but annoying reminders of the truth of Victor’s successful teachings to that pathetic Japanese skater. That and a shattered screen. It had happened during a break in his practice, when he lost his temper at the new articles that had sprung up overnight. Of course that Russian traitor was still supporting such a weak skater. The alpha seemed to have a soft spot for the worthless. 

Yuri rolled over to his stomach, stretching out with a sigh as he returned to his own coursework. There were only a few more problems, but the blonde couldn’t stop his own thoughts which were returning to Anton. Lilia had obviously passed on his own phone number to the other omega, who had sent the most irritating messages throughout the day. It was one of the many reasons Yuri was struggling to work on his coursework and finally just shoved all his books over the edge of the bed when his phone buzzed again. 

“Leave me alone.” He muttered, looking at the various texts on his phone. There was the most from Anton, giving Yuri even more practice tips for his skating routine as well as general practice. Yuri had yet to respond to any of them. 

One was from his mother, reminding him of an online test he still needed to complete. That was ignored as well. 

The last was from one of the younger skaters Yakov taught. _Don’t forget to shift tonight._ Yuri screamed into his pillow at all of the nagging and pestering everyone was giving him. Yuri switched his phone off. His ‘dinner’ still sat ignored on his desk from where Yakov had brought it. He finally got up and snagged off the piece of bread, munching on it before picking up his phone one last time. 

_> I’ll shift for you if you leave me alone._

He finally sent to Anton. He dreaded going to the dance studio tomorrow morning for another three hours of torture by Anton and Lilia. 

The last thing he saw before falling asleep was Anton’s response. 

_> Sleep well Yuri _


	3. Played

Yuri sat very uncomfortably within the booth. Somehow, Anton had convinced him to go out to lunch during a practice break. Yuri played it off that it was just exhaustion from training and classes. That and Anton had promised to buy the food. The restaurant itself was quiet from lack of people within the place. Even better, the booth was tucked away from unseeing eyes.

“Sit up straight, Yuri. How many times do I have to remind you.” The elder said, without even lifting his eyes from his menu. 

The teen gritted his teeth, but adjusted his posture. Something about the way Anton acted had been bothering him, though the blonde couldn’t place it. Yuri just placed it off as the fact that the elder was a ballerina and entirely too focused on helping Yuri be better.

The waiter came over to take their orders, but before Yuri could speak, Anton was ordering for both of them. What he ordered made Yuri freeze with anger as he certainly didn’t like his choice being taken. 

“Yes,” Anton began when the waiter walked away. “If you want to delay your body presenting, eat less. But if you don’t eat enough, your training will suffer and you start getting injured very easily.” 

The words hit Yuri down to the core. He couldn’t get himself to stand though as Anton’s eyes seemed to pin him in place. How Anton could guess was above Yuri. He had tried so hard to hide his actions from everyone. 

Anton suddenly started talked again.

“You’ve been experience migraines, nausea, mood swings and increasing urges to shift. All signs of presentation.” 

Yuri froze from intently studying his phone.

“….I would know, I went through them. I also can tell you I did everything I could to stop it from happening as well. I know from watching that you are already excessively exercising without proper rest and I believe you are struggling with wanting to shift versus denying the urges.”

A thread of panic bubbled up in Yuri. No, it didn’t make sense. Yuri had been covered the dark circles with makeup so that they were invisible.

“Your age and general attitude off ice would point towards an alpha, but your body type certainly doesn’t.” Anton seemed to ignore for once how Yuri had seemed to sink in on himself. “Instead of growing pains, you’re getting lower back pains, yes?” It was shocking enough to pull out a slight nod from Yuri despite his panic. Anton just smiled sadly. Yuri hated that the elder male was so right about all of this. His panic was quickly turning to fury at the sight of the smile. 

“Soon, your body will force your secondary gender to emerge. It sucks, but your first heat should be mild since your body is still underdeveloped. How long have you been experiencing the symptoms?” Anton shameless asked the younger shifter. 

Yuri did not offer up the answer instantly. The waiter had brought over their food. It was now late June, almost August. The symptoms had started shortly after arriving back from Japan. Why wasn’t he getting up? Telling someone, anyone, could get back to Anton. Of course the doctors had guessed but that man was an idiot. Wrong. The doctor was wrong. Yuri shook softly, unable to hold onto the anger was he truly was panicked about his situation. There was no way that Yakov would keep him as an omega. No one in Russia let omegas train in such an alpha dominated sport. 

“Over two months.” He responded quietly, picking up his own utensils and starting on the food Anton had ordered him. Why he responded, spilled his secrets the other was beyond him. Maybe just the fact that Yuri felt like he was drowning in fear. 

Anton raised an eyebrow but spoke softly. “I can arrange to get you drugs to stop your heats.” Such drugs were banned in Russia. Yuri’s eyes widened as he looked to Anton, wanting to nod but knowing it could not be true. 

“Yakov gives me random drug tests.” He finally responded. “Even if I wanted to take them, he would find out and throw me out of training.” He figured it would be like any other form of drugs, but Anton was shaking his head. 

“Yakov was the one who suggested to Lilia to put me on hormone suppressants after I presented.” Anton was smiling happily again. The male ballerina was also so irritatingly confident about everything. “They will at first make you feel terrible. It suppresses all of your secondary gender, which may cause you to continue to not grow. Though it stops your heats completely. Some may be able to smell you are an omega, but there are scent suppressants you could use at the competitions. I have been on them for five years now, so I am used to the drugs. And I figured since he helped me get on them, he won’t care if you start too.” The words were as close to hope for the younger blonde than he ever felt. 

“What do I have to do for you to get them?” Yuri still didn’t trust the male ballerina, despite their continued training together. Yuri was now even more flexible than he’d ever been, which was reflected in his skating. Despite his hate for the ballet training, Yuri loved his current results in skating. 

“To help my junior? Nothing. Though, if you want, I can get Lilia to talk to Yakov once you present to ensure he doesn’t throw you out of training. To do that, all I want is to see you shift. You could even come over to my place if you do not want others to see you.” The words were soft, but pressuring. 

It made Yuri’s gut twist in confusion. He needed Yakov’s title to continue to skate internationally.

“Tonight, I’ll come to your place and shift for you.” Yuri’s eyes hardened with resolve. 

\----

Anton was standing just outside of the locker rooms when Yuri finally finished training. Exhaustion and fatigue from training had made the promise from earlier today slip his mind. He frowned at Anton. Lucky he had already told Yakov that he had plans with Anton tonight. The old man at least had the decency to seem surprised. 

“I have to be home by midnight.” Yuri grunted, which gave him roughly three hours to do whatever would secure Anton’s aid. 

The male ballerina just smiled knowingly, but opened the doors leading to the outside world. “I place is only two spots down on the metro. Come, I’ll get you a snack on the way.” 

“I don’t want your food.” Yuri responded, but followed Anton into the metro. 

“You were strength training all afternoon. Without protein, your muscles will weaken. Trust me, I’ll give you enough for you to still continue with training.” Anton did just as he promised and purchased Yuri a snack. Of course, he also seemed to be able to guess Yuri’s favorite snack, which Yuri ate with a scowl on the metro. It did at least aid the growing pain of hunger Yuri felt deep within his stomach.

“It’s not a huge place I have, but I got so tired of living with the other dancers. Their drama is so exhausting.” Anton said randomly as they reached the right stop. “I also go travel often to perform in other countries so I don’t need much.” He pulled out his eyes as they reached the apartment. 

Yuri only frowned, stepping in after Anton and toeing off his shoes. None of what Anton said made the blonde care, but he was thankful Anton never pressed for responses. 

Once in the living room, Yuri shifted without looking to Anton. Almost instantly, the snow leopard began to investigate the room. It took Yuri a few moments to recognize that Anton sat on the couch, just watching the other shifter with interest. 

“Come here beautiful.” Anton said softly, holding out a hand to the snow leopard. Yuri’s ear switched back for a moment in hesitation before the traitorous animal spirit urged to bound forward. Anton ended up with a lapful of snow leopard, but Anton laughed happily and hugged Yuri close. 

“Oh, I knew it. He starves you of attention, doesn’t he? Don’t worry, I love giving attention.” 

Before Yuri could process the words, he found himself curled in Anton’s arms. Anton started stroking his back and tail, sometimes cooing out soft words and other times just sighing happily. 

\---

“I was right. You are a beautiful little thing. Rare too, Yuri.” 

The snow leopard was so pleased with the attention, the gentle words making him close his eyes in happiness at the attention. 

“I can make you feel even better. Here. Just relax and let me take care of you.” Anton was shifting the snow leopard around, turning Yuri so that his soft stomach as exposed so that Anton could take over stroking his soft stomach. Squirming only made Anton’s grasp just a bit more firm, but the soft touches never stopped. Yuri huffed, finally giving in but sniffing at Anton’s neck. In this form, the others’ scent was much stronger but also more confusing. At least the apartment only smelled of the male ballerina. Still, there was something extremely metallic and just wrong with it. Yuri left out a small yip as the touching was making him sleepy. 

“Shhhhh Yuri.” Anton’s voice was firmer this time. “Let me take care of you. I spoke with Yakov well you showered. He is okay with you staying overnight.” The ballerina’s fingers were magical though, working out tension by touching more sensitive spots gently. 

Finally, a low whine slipped from the snow leopard. He’d been struggling not to fall asleep, hating that Anton had put him in such a compromising position. The other’s scent was dizzying and confusing, but Yuri knew that he did not have the knowledge to figure out why. His best guess was that as an omega, he found the scent of another omega comforting, like home. The whine seemed enough to please Anton, who turned Yuri over and set him down mostly on the couch next to him. Yuri could not convince himself to move any farther either, his snow leopard wanting the gently touches so much it was causing him pain to try and deny it. 

Anton seemed pleased with this, keeping Yuri close for a while longer. Just as the blonde was starting to truly slip into sleep, the older man shifted above him. Yuri let out another soft whine, curling in a small ball as Anton, who apparently was tiger shifter, curled behind Yuri. The tiger gave Yuri a few soft nudges with his head before settling in, affectively keeping Yuri smothered in attention. Warm and exhausted, Yuri could not fight sleep. The last thought that bubbled up was barely even registered, but his instincts where attempting to aid Yuri. 

_Alpha._

Anton was an alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. 
> 
> Anton is just a bottle of mysteries, isn't he.


	4. Ruined

Yuri’s life all but seemed to deteriorate after the night he spent over at Anton’s place. The following morning had Anton rushing him out the door and to the dance studio to run through various moves. The young blonde never really questioned that night. He only wanted to forget just how well he slept with the older male pressed around him. Or how wonderful Anton’s larger hands had felt when he had shifted, spending close to an hour just giving Yuri the attention he craved. 

The following day, Lilia announced that the training with Anton was over. Apparently the male dancer was now busy training for a new production. Yuri could not help but feel betrayed, used by the other. Without the lessens, the blonde’s routine was completely destroyed. That had been the only constant at the moment in his life. Even with skating more, Yuri found himself struggling to control his mood swings.

He started to refuse to allow himself to shift again. He received a few annoying texts from Anton, but those did not warrant a response. Yuri felt disgusted with himself that he had thought Anton was something more than just another man who only cared of himself. Since that night, Yuri had resolved himself to only care about himself. There had been a few issues on the ice when Yuri refused to share with others or skated in a way that caused the other trainees more difficulty. No one could argue that the training was not providing stunning results. Though the blonde would never admit it, he had taken the words of his coaches to heart. His moments on the ice flowed in such a way that to some, it appeared that Yuri truly was preforming a beautiful ballet piece when the blonde tried. Half the time aggression completely ruined the affect. Yakov seemed strangely quiet about it, but Yuri could tell that he was frustrated. It reminded Yuri of when he was kid, pushing to do quads even after he had been told his body couldn’t handle such jumps yet. 

During practice one day, a bottle of pills appeared in his locker. Only Anton and Yakov knew the code to get in. Not even Anton keeping his word eased the anger Yuri felt about the elder male ditching their practice.

He barely lasted a week after that night. Yuri was in the middle of going over his free routine when the cramps hit. He attempted to push himself, to keep his movements as flowing and elegant but the pain wouldn’t allow it. That and the fact that everyone on ice froze. Most seemed to be looking at one of the younger skaters who was at the right age. Expect Yakov. Dread filled Yuri was his coach called out to him. For once, he did not spit out a response but came to stand infront of his coach. 

Up close, Yuri knew the old alpha would be able to identify. 

Yuri didn’t bother to raise his eyes. He knew that only disappointment would show in Yakov’s eyes. 

“I’ll leave.” Yuri spoke out first, walking away before Yakov could even speak. 

Tears burned in Yuri’s eyes. This was it. That was certainly his late time to skate for Yakov. He tore his skates off, not bothering to tend to the blisters as he normally would. His hands shook partially from the pain of the cramps, but partially due to his emotions. The blonde shook as he stumbled into the centers showers, washing off the worst of the sweet smell with an expensive scent blocking soap he’d purchased. It was lucky he had prepared for this.

In his bag was a pack of scent reducers. Yuri hesitantly placed a few of the patches on his skin, including his neck. He dressed in his usual sweats, shirt and team jacket. After a moments debate, Yuri cleaned his locker out. His heart was heavy, but it was stupid to hope that Yakov would keep him around.

Omegas are weak. Meant to sit at home and aid in child rearing activities. Very few got approval to approval to participate in sports. Almost all omegas were dancers. It was one of the few of the arts that was seem as a good sport for the more weak omega. Ice skating was not looked at the same way in Russia. 

Yuri slammed his locker hard, shouldering his bag as he stormed from rink. If anyone had been around, none had bothered the male. The anger rolling off him probably aided Yuri getting back to Yakov’s safely. That and the coach lived only a few blocks from the rink. 

Probably the last time I’ll be letting myself in here. Yuri thought bitterly, making his way hastily back to his room. The house itself was oddly quiet. It was in that quietness that Yuri’s anger broke. He could barely lock his door, curling on his bed as another wave of debilitating cramps raked Yuri’s body. His skin felt too tight, too hot suddenly. Instant wanted the blonde to strip of his clothes, but Yuri gritted his teeth against it. 

The blonde allowed himself roughly a minute to recover, but the cramps persisted. He could feel sweat beading between his shoulder blades as though he just ran a mile. His muscles surely felt that way. After that, Yuri started packing. Or he attempted to pack. More of his clothes from his closet ended on the floor than in his bag. He hadn’t even gotten down his larger suitcase as he trembled from emotions. 

The movements aided in providing a few minutes of quietness from his mind before the afternoons events began to replay sickeningly. The lack of response from Yakov had been the worst, followed so closely be the dead silence from everyone in the rink. Everyone knew. There was no chance he could hide it now. A harsh sigh slipped out as the blonde fought with himself against the overwhelming urge to cry. Blindly, he reached for his phone for a distraction. Well turning on some music, a text came in. Though he wanted to ignore his message, he found himself drawn to it. Numbly, the omega read the message from a fellow skater. It was common knowledge Yakov did not know how to text. The old man had better things to do besides deal with stupid technology. 

_> Coach wants you to rest. He’ll talk with you tonight, if possible. Make sure to drink plenty, and stretch. _

“Probably to nullify our contract.” Yuri muttered bitterly, though a tear slide down his face. Yuri wiped it away hesitantly. He could not cry. That was weak. Just like being an omega. 

“What else..” He muttered more softly, looking around his room. There were too many things to pack, but the room was so hot. Evidence of his devotion to skating littered the floor as he had dug out basically all of his clothing. His attention was drawn to his notebook, which held written recordings of all of his training over the past few months. Yuri slowly picked it up, looking without seeing the words written across the pages. He couldn’t bring himself to record todays workout. 

Suddenly, he felt incredibly dumb. No matter how much he had trained, it was certainly stupid of him to think his secondary gender would not ruin things. Anton had probably realized that the night they had slept together. Yuri bet the other omega had decided during the night that attempting to help Yuri would ruin his own career. And even if Yakov did allow him to train, Yuri knew he would lose his sponsors. The blonde wasn’t sure what corporations supported him, but he could only guess the large corporations would not aid the omega. The corporate world of Russia was no place for omegas. Without sponsors, Yuri could not afford the entry fees, travel costs, costumes and coaching fees. Yuri’s parents certainly couldn’t have paid for allow of it for so long. Since he had won sponsorships, Yuri’s parents had placed all of their savings into a beautiful home that Yuri had yet to visit. He doubted they would want him back. There was no way to be proud of a male omega.

Abruptly, it was way too much. The pain, the emotions, his thoughts. The sobs he had been holding back tore loss. Yuri couldn’t even bring himself to rise from the floor, instead curling next to his gym bag. 

Time seemed to become irrelevant. Eventually, the tears dried. The cramps lessened to a more manageable amount. Yuri moved slowly to his bed, curling under the thick comforter. He didn’t stir when knocked his books off the floor, the noise barely registering in his ears. In fact, it took him a few seconds to realize that not long afterwards, someone was knocking at his door. 

The blonde knew he should feel more panicked, but he slowly slide from his bed. He barely noticed that his room was literally crashed from his frenzied haze a few hours earlier. 

“Yes coach?” Yuri had cracked the door, but stared at the old man’s chest. 

“Yuri,” the older man said, but paused. If Yuri had been looking at the other’s face, he might have seen the shock of the young blondes terrible state. “We should talk. I picked up some food. If you feel well enough, will you come down and eat?” It wasn’t exactly the words Yuri expected to hear, whatever that might be. 

“Sure.” Yuri said. “I’ll be down in a moment.” 

He closed the door softly, hearing Yakov walk away after a moment. Yuri ran his fingers through his long locks feeling nothing at all. 

True to his words, Yuri appeared at the table after changing clothes and washing away what he could of the evidence of his tears. Yakov was sitting down already, waiting. Yuri took his normal seat across from the coach, but the tension in his body gave away that he was ready to flee at any moment. 

None of the practiced lines Yuri had thought of before this seemed right. He didn’t even bother to try to eat, though Yakov clearly was thinking they would talk after the meal. 

“Coach, please, I’m sorry. I can still train. I know I’ll win. I’ll take the next few days off, but after that I have suppressants. We can pretend this didn’t happen, that I don’t have a secondary gender. I can train on my own these next few months. Just let me compete for you.” Yuri’s voice had risen out of panic. The older man was just so quiet, staring at Yuri until it was clear the omega was struggling to find something else to say. 

It was only then that Yakov set down his utensils and sighed. “Yuri.” The word almost came out in a fond manner, but the blonde knew it was a lie. 

“I promise coach, I will win. I have trained hard these past few months to ensure if this happened, it wouldn’t affect my skating.” He hated himself for begging. No, Yuri just hated himself. 

When there was no response, Yuri finally looked at Yakov and froze. The look his coach was giving him was one of fondness. 

“You are almost as bad as Victor.” The coach finally announced. “Eat. I have had enough of watching you starve yourself. I want that plate cleaned off. After that, you will return to your room and clean it. I have given you space, but it seems I should have been keeping you on a shorter lease. Once that is done, and you’ve calmed down, we will talk. As adults.” The words were as infuriating and confusing as ever. 

Yuri just stared at his coach until he was told again to eat. He finally picked up his own fork and started to eat. 

\------

The food really calmed Yuri down. Something about having one of his favorite meals, or maybe just the fact that eating was so normal that the blonde found himself relaxing. Yakov finished first, but gave Yuri a pointed look as he stood. 

“Remember that I said clean. Not pack. Leave the dishes, I will take care of them while you straighten your things.” Yakov’s voice was firm, but it held no ill tones to it. 

Yuri nodded. It was all he could do as he finished off the last of his meal. He gave Yakov something similar to his usual scowl before taking his plate to the sink and washing it. After, Yuri did return to his room to see it was a true disaster. He picked up hastily, wanting nothing more than to talk to his coach. The blonde realized with a start half way through that this was how coach always had handled Yuri, even as a child. If something hadn’t gone right and Yuri acted out, he was given a task until he calmed down. It calmed Yuri, always had. 

Yuri pulled his hands into his hoodie sleeves as he walked into his coach’s office. It was most often where Yakov spent his night. Apparently even a day like today wouldn’t shake that. The blonde knocked softly on the open door before stepping inside. 

“Coach. Can we talk now?” Yuri asked softly, feeling rather unsure of his position even still. 

Yakov nodded, setting aside his work. “Of course.” Yakov stood, moving to sit one on of the more comfortable chairs away from the desk. Yuri followed the movement and sat across from him. The blonde had to force himself not to fidget. 

“Who do you skate for, Yuri?” It certainly was not what Yuri expected to hear. 

“Why does that matter?” Yuri couldn’t help it. He was so tired of games. 

Yakov just sighed. “Because, now answer.”

“Fine.” Yuri spat out. “Russia. You. To win. It doesn’t matter.” 

“You skate for me, Yuri. Not Russia. Which means two important things. I am the one holding the contract with you and I am the one who gets to choose whom skates for me. Now, I may be old, but I am not dumb. Your scent has been flaring the past two days. But I knew before that your secondary gender. I’ve known since I started training you as a child. Though you have been grouchy, you never attempted to challenge me like Victor or any of my other skaters have. I recruited you because you were a child prodigy and a talented one at that.” The words washed over Yuri, who scowled for a slight second before just looking at Yakov in shock. 

“My job is to know my skaters. I know more about you than you think. I had hoped you would have come to me before this, besides putting yourself into a frenzy, but I was proud of your dedication to training over these past few months. So you are an omega. Good for you. I am more proud that you would prefer to continue to train, and show the world how strong omegas are. You will continue to win. Russia only cares if I have winners, and I know it will be you, Yuri.”

It hurt. The words hurt because of how much they meant. “Yakov, I thought you hated omegas.”

The old man shook his head. “I hate how our country portrays them.” It was a simple answer. 

The young blonde was still having struggle accepting it all. Maybe it was because his body had started to ache again. “Go take a bath, relax, then sleep. You are on rest until your through with your first heat. It’ll be a good break for your muscles. If you feel up to it, you can do some yoga, but that is it.” Of course Yakov could see how Yuri had started to curl in on himself. 

“Yes coach,” Yuri stood, scowling out of pain and embarrassment. “Thanks.” 

\-----

When the first heat passed, Yuri couldn’t be more relieved. It had been four miserable days of cramps, headaches, a strong ache deep in his chest of need and notably the worst- a horrible realization that his sense of smell had massively increased. The blonde couldn’t decide of the scent of an alpha was comforting or not. His only reference was his coach in his new state, but that didn’t say much. The old alpha was well past mating. 

Yuri laid curled on his bed the fifth morning, debating on if he was feeling strong enough for practice today. His limbs still ached due to the residual cramps. The sun had yet to rise. 

A groan slipped form his lips at general unhappiness. Yuri pulled his blankets over his head until his phone chimed at him. He wasn’t exactly used to getting up so early after four days of rest. Without much thought, Yuri turned off his alarm. He nuzzled his pillow, hugging close a stuffed tiger that until four days ago, Yuri would have never been seen with on his bed. 

His thoughts slowly swirled back to training. Yakov said he would let Yuri train still. It would be best for Yuri to show up today, even if all he wanted was to stay in the comfort of his nest. 

The blonde was still deciding as the sun peaked out over the horizon. The soft noises of the old man moving around the kitchen reached Yuri’s ears. Coach would leave for practice soon. Still hesitating, the blonde showered and sought out the alpha for advice. He felt weird, but just wanted everything to go back too normal. Practice should help with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realize this probably wasn't what you all expected.. Please don't hate me! I debated really hard on Yuri's response, but I have it all under control. You'll see in the next few chapters.
> 
> Also, stay tuned. The next chapter will be from Anton's perspective! 
> 
> Also, for those who are curious about when I update.. I don't have a schedule. It is honestly just when I have time to write.


	5. Conflicted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... This is from Anton's point of view.. I hope you guys like it! 
> 
> P.S. Comments are my favorite.

_Anton’s POV_  
Anton knew he made a mistake inviting Yuri over, or maybe it was long before that, watching for hours on end the small blonde fight himself. He’d honestly enjoyed the hour of attention the snow leopard let him give, able to tell the grouchy teen finally had given up the act. Russian punk? Maybe. But most probably did not see behind all the scowling mask the teen who truly was Yuri Plisetsky. Anton bet he was one of the few that had ever gotten to hold the beautiful snow leopard Yuri turn into. He pressed a few soft kisses to Yuri’s soft head, ignoring the way the younger man kept sniffing him. If one thing that Anton had caught on too was that the younger male was practically clueless to shift dynamics. 

“Beautiful kitten. So shy.” He muttered as the smaller cat curled into a ball. Anton had only moved away for a moment, long enough to check his own alarm was set before curling around the young shifter. 

The alpha truly did intend to only sleep. But he couldn’t. Not with the other cat curled so beautiful next to him. Anton allowed himself to clean Yuri with a few licks, also leaving his scent behind. It kept the beast inside of him pleased for the moment. He woke at every shift the smaller male gave, amused when the young shifter would press his head hard into Anton’s side for a moment well deep within sleep. 

He knew Yuri would hate him once he found out, but Anton enjoyed too much being treated as an equal. It had been a ploy by Lilia, who figured Anton could probably draw out some of Yuri’s confidence if he saw a confident omega. And it worked, slowly but painfully Anton could tell the younger male was more confident with himself. The smaller males’ impatience and cute scowling during training that made each day enjoyable. 

Though still a week out, Anton knew Yuri’s presentation was coming soon. In their shifted form, he could easily sense that the younger shifter’s body was finally on the path to start maturing. It was why Anton had been so insistent about helping Yuri, but also seeing him shift. He had known the younger man would want privacy, so bringing him into his den had been a prefect idea at the time. 

When morning came, Anton panicked slightly. He’d shifted and showered before Yuri had even stirred, only nudging the younger male awake. While Yuri dressed for the day, Anton switched out his own clothing. Yuri was not quite a morning person it appeared, grumbling as they left without getting any sort of food. 

The taller male was tense. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it seemed all Anton would do was wait for Yuri to bring up his own secondary gender again. Throughout the train ride, Yuri was completely engrossed in the cup of coffee and scone Anton had purchased for him. In fact, the younger blonde seemed like he either did not care or was otherwise distracted throughout all of practice. Anton could only hope that maybe the young blonde did not care, but he would not bring it up. Instead, Anton chickened out. He refused to ruin the wonderful yet tender relationship he had fostered with Yuri. By the end of their training time that morning, he knew it would be best for this to be the last time he trained with Yuri. 

Anton struggled hard with his emotions about letting the young skater get away. The distance was for Yuri’s sake. Ending their practices might let the omega slip through another two weeks before he presented. Though, truthfully, it was that Anton couldn’t keep his feeling in check much longer. 

The first morning without their shared practice, he sent Yuri a text to check in. He hoped for a response, but wasn’t surprised at the complete lack there-of. Anton had seen Yuri completely ignore texts after reading them many times. True to his word, Anton did start to practice early for his newest performance. The more difficult part would be that the second lead was a new dancer, and was terrible at lifts. 

\----

A few days after, Anton actually did get ahold of the suppressants. His supplier had given him a funny look, as it certainly wasn’t what the alpha needed. Anton was one of the few alphas that experienced rut that he knew of. The lack of control during the ruts was something the dancer despised, which was why he stayed on his own suppressants. 

He stared at the small bottle of pills once more. He wished there was more that he could do for the smaller blonde. Suppressants felt like death the first few weeks for him, so he assumed the same would be for Yuri. Especially since he knew the young blonde would start them within a few days of his first heat wrapping up. Struggling to adjust to the new emotions after presentation was hell for the best of people. Anton had done some research, and Yuri’s older age would make the presentation even harder on the young male. Yuri was perceptive as well, so Anton figured he would be able to see how the world around him was now tilted and colored due to his secondary gender. He wished Yuri had another, closer friend but he sensed that the punk did not let people close to him. Anton truly felt that Yuri did not need to be around an animal like him during this time. 

No one was around when Anton opened Yuri’s locker. It was easy to put the bottle of pills into Yuri’s bag, studying the few personal possessions before closing it. 

He sat close to the back of the stands for a while, just watching the small but graceful skater loop around the ice. Even from here, Anton could see the occasional tension caused by one of the more open moves. This form of skating did fit the slimmer lines of Yuri’s body, his movements mostly flowing with elegance and ease. At least he was pleased to see that the young skater wore his hair unrestrained during this practice. 

Anton only stayed a few minutes after slipping the pills into Yuri’s locker. The last thing he wanted was to cause Yuri any more distress. He knew deep inside that Yuri knew the truth. Every time he thought of the beautiful snow leopard, he remembered feeling line of tension that slipped through Yuri’s slender form as he fell asleep, curling next to the tiger. Anton had taken advantage of the exhausted younger shifter out of desires to be close to someone. 

\----

Why the next day, four days after stopping their private sessions, Anton found himself back at the ice rink was beyond himself. He had died his hair black last night, already prepping for his newest role on stage. The dancer stood in the shadows of the rink as Yuri appeared. He couldn’t help but smile softly at the fact that once again, Yuri was dressed in all black. Anton had pleaded hard with Yuri to see if he could get the younger male to wear something other than black. All he had gotten was a harsh glare. 

From this far away, Anton could see the shadows of exhaustion beneath Yuri’s eyes. The makeup may have taken away the color but it did not take away the curves of Yuri’s flawless skin. Nor did they hide how Yuri kept tension been his brows, his shoulders slightly hunched. Anton could only guess another headache bothered him today. Yuri kept his chin tipped down too. It made Anton’s chest ache. No one seemed to be taking care of the young omega, who obviously needed someone to step in and tell him that rest was just as important. On days like today, Anton would have kept Yuri’s practice based more off stretches than jumps and spins. Yakov seemed either not to notice or not to care.

 _Soon._ His instincts screamed at him. Anton shook his head lightly. It was certainly too far away to catch the scent of the young omega to tell exactly. There was no chance Anton could step closer to the younger male either. 

The male dancer stayed longer than he should. Over an hour passed without him truly noticing. Compared to everyone else on the ice, Yuri moved like a fairy. Every chasse on the ice seemed effortless to the skater, despite preforming harsh jumps multiple times. Yakov rarely corrected the blonde either. 

Anton was guilty of looking up past performances of the teen. His skating now was flawless compared to the past. Well, besides the fact that today he was completely scowling. Anton stiffened slightly as his phone went off, the ring tone cutting through the soft chatter of those who were skating. Luckily, Yuri was obvious to the world around him. 

The dancer slipped outside with a sigh to answer the call. It was one of the production managers. Apparently he’d forgotten a photo shoot. Though primarily a ballet dancer, Anton’s tiger form had recently gotten extremely popular as a marketing sensation for one of the top clothing lines. His agent apparently knew his routine too well, as a short while later a black car pulled up to take Anton to the set. 

The shoot ended up running irritatingly late, especially considering that the photographer was only interested in Anton’s tiger form. At first, the dancer had almost walked out. His manager had failed to mention a second tiger would be present, especially another unmated alpha. No one stopped him as he backed the shorter male to a wall, starring him down with a glare. It was exactly the type of activity that he normally scoffed at. Though the other shifter was older, he lowered his gaze first, tilting his chin up in a sign of submission. If the other male had pressed, Anton would have left. 

In the back of his mind lingered the fact that his rut was coming up soon. He had miscalculated, so it was even better that he had stepped away from training with the unmated omega. 

Food had been a semi-decent distraction as the shoot was set up. Anton ate some before shifting, his tiger form stalking the various equipment before settling in the main position on a white couch. The other male came over more slowly, the second tiger smaller than Anton’s. The photographer didn’t keep him around much. Neither were impressed with the other. 

It took until it was disgustingly late at night that Anton finally realized what was bothering him. None of the other models smelled interested him. In fact, they were irritating. Unpleasant. Annoying. He showed his teeth as he stood from the last set, done with all of it. The tiger was more in charge as he stalked to the door before shifting. It took until Anton was back out on the chilly street to realize whom the tiger wanted.


	6. Rights

_Yuri’s POV_  
For once, the blonde went with his coach to practice. He was still proudly wearing his team Russia jacket over his black hoodie, mirrored aviators covering his eyes as they arrived. He kept his hands pushed deep into his pockets, only moving to pull his sunglasses off once safely inside the doors. His earphones where jammed in his ears, though no music played. Yuri liked that they muffled out the noise, but also wanted to know if anyone was gossiping about him. 

Yakov placed his hand on the omegas’ shoulder, leading the blonde with a stern look to the rink instead of allowing him to go to the locker rooms. The blonde gritted his teeth, knowing exactly why Yakov didn’t allow him to leave his side yet. 

The blonde threw his bag roughly on the bench, stomping off some ways before starting to stretch. He did not look at Yakov either, knowing the actions would be enough to irritate the alpha. 

After a few minutes of silently stretching, Yuri recognized the shoes of Mila Babicheva. 

“Yuuuurrrrriiiiii!” She called loudly, causing the young blonde to flinch. He couldn’t even duck out of the way of her suffocating hug. “Yakov would not let me come over and care for you. Still, I brought you your favorite drink.” 

“Get off.” Yuri demanded, twisting in her grasp before spotting the cup she had left a few feet away. “Stop covering me in your awful, stinky alpha scent.” It made his chest ache worse, reminding him harshly of his new status. 

“Grumpy kitty. Consider it protection from other alphas, Yuri. You know I won’t let anything happen to you. Here, drink this. I’ll help you stretch.” She passed over the steaming cup before settling behind Yuri. 

He scowled, but took a tiny sip. It was white hot chocolate, one of his top favorites of anything. 

“I got them to put a shot of expresso in, and extra chocolate. I figured you would need it.” Mila said, beginning to gently rub Yuri’s shoulder instead of helping him stretch. She laughed as Yuri tensed up even worse. “Relax, Yuri. You won’t have a good skate if you don’t.” 

Yuri attempted to hunch over worse, but Mila pulled him back lightly and continued to massage his shoulders and neck. The blonde sighed softly, taking a more aggressive sip of the wonderful sweet drink. Something between the constant, rich scent of alpha and the pressure of the rather persistent shoulder rub got Yuri to hesitantly relax. 

“Before everyone else gets on the ice Yuri, I want you to run through your free program.” Yakov suddenly spoke out, causing all of Mila’s work to be shattered. 

It was the one program Yuri was struggling the most with still. His short had basically been nailed down and perfected. Of course, he’d picked his music for both programs but had grown bored with his long program. The blonde knew he was still too focused on the physical aspects of both routines. A disgruntled sigh slipped from his lips. 

“You can do it! Especially feeling this vulnerable. Isn’t the theme of your long program..” Mila had started, but stopped when Yuri abruptly stood up, intentionally slapping her hands away. 

“No. Do not. You do not get the right to talk about my programs.” His tone was harsh as he returned to his bag to pull out his skates. 

The only plus about taking four days off was that most of his blisters had healed, and his mother had taken his skates to be sharpened. He tied off the skates, having shredded his two jackets, earphones and phone before stomping over the entrance of the rink after promptly throwing away the drink Mila had bought him. 

“So touchy.” Mila muttered audibly, but at least she provided useful in attaching Yuri’s phone up to the system. 

No one else was on the ice yet. The blonde hated it, but skated out, preforming a few easier jumps and warm up moves before settling in the center of rink. He pushed his hair out of the way, settling into the pose he’d decided would start the routine. It felt strangely right for once. In the moments before the music started, Yuri forced the bundle of emotions he felt out, calming his mind. This run of the routine would set the tone of his day. Yuri let his eyes slide close, as Lilia had insisted. 

Mila started the music. 

Yuri opened his eyes slowly, shifting with the piece. 

It was the story of the young and innocent. A male just barely of age- but full of arrogance and pride due to his angelic beauty. A male that loves to flirt. His adolescence keeps him from understanding how his actions are perceived. In the moment of his youth, the young man makes a contract with a demon. The male sells his soul in exchange for internal beauty, vainly not realizing he already had everything he needed. 

As Yuri completed the last jump, he felt little disappointment with himself. None of the jumps where as they should have been, most just not reaching his usual heights. 

His chest heaved from the sudden exhaustion after five days. 

Yuri rubbed his gloves hard over his face. His chest clenched as he heard the one thing that he had not since Victor won last year. Yakov. Clapping. Yuri had pleased his coach. He let his fringe hang down over his eyes, skating to the edge of the ice were Yakov now stood. 

“I had Mila record that. I expect each time you preform that now Yuri, that you connect better each time. It is a winning performance when you give it your all.” Yuri couldn’t even bother to scowl. 

He swallowed thickly, but nodded. “Yes, coach.” 

“Good. Now, for training today you’ll be working with the kids.” That brought a scowl faster to Yuri’s face than ever. Yakov also knew him well enough to cut the blonde off. “You performed well. Now you will have an easy day of training by teaching basic spins.” 

In truth, Yakov thought the interaction with the kids, who rarely ever judged, may give Yuri back his confidence on the ice. He knew that Yuri needed another day before starting his real training again. 

Yuri slide off the ice to grab his cheetah print hoodie. He threw the hood up, glaring hard at Yakov’s back. 

By the end of the morning though, Yuri could feel exhaustion seeping deep into his muscles. He was barely doing anything either, mainly just being a pole for the little kids to hang on. Most of them knew off him and had been absolutely ecstatic. He’d done a few requests at the end of lessons after being pressured, though in truth the teen did not mind. It was not until he was sitting with some of the other skaters that he realized the kids had not questioned his new scent or lack of training for the past few days. It was unlike the parents, whom Yuri had to pointedly ignored the questioning looks he got. 

“If you didn’t glare at everything like you wished for it die, people might like you.” Mila said out of nowhere. Yuri turned to glared at her instead, but she was still practicing on the ice. 

Yuri’s phone vibrating got his attention. He blinked at the new text from Anton, then promptly deleted it. 

The anger was enough to fuel the rest of his day. After lunch, Yakov allowed Yuri to practice under his discretion. He forbid Yuri from attempting any quads or combination jumps at the moment. Even with the restricted practice, Yakov sent Yuri home at four. His instructions were strictly to stretch, then relax. The teen glared hard as he left, but did. 

On his walk home, he slipped into one of the main Russian markets. It was completely in the wrong direction of his home, but getting lost in the crowd stabilized the skater’s feelings. There was also a specific item he had decided he needed. A pair of gloves caught his attention before he found that item. The backs of the gloves had fake silver triangle rind-stones on them. The insides were lined. Perfect. He paid for them with cash his mother always sent. It may not be the season for such things, but the ice destroyed his gloves. 

It took looking around a good majority of the market before Yuri finally found them. The blonde ignored the Japanese man behind the table, studying the array of clothe surgical masks laid out on part of the table. He settled on two- a pure black one and one with the lower half of a skull on it. After paying for it, Yuri slipped the printed one on, re-arranging his headphones so the straps did not get tangled. 

The effect was instantaneous. All of the nauseatingly strong scents of the alphas were greatly reduced, back to almost the levels he had previous been used too. It helped him relax enough to enjoy wondering through the market as he turned back home. 

The other item that caught his eyes as he walked through the market was a poster. Yuri had a few postures, but this was one of a massive tiger. The tiger itself was stunning. Yuri could see it was a prideful animal. Behind the tiger was a well-known male model. Without really thinking, the blonde purchased one to hang up in his room. What the blonde did not know is that he had met the tiger before. 

The mask did have one down fall. Between his sun glasses, music and the mask, Yuri had isolated himself from the crowd while still standing within it. The blonde certainly did not realize that as he wandered, he grabbed the attention of a few. He was too distracted by studying the stalls in the bored manner while wandering back to the entrance of the metro. 

In particular, the young blonde caught the attention of a police officer whose job it was to control the crowd. Only a block away was apparently a demonstration of some sort. 

A growl slipped from the omega’s throat as someone touched his shoulder. Though the harsh words died on his lips at the sight of the man in uniform. Disgruntled but law aiding, Yuri slipped an earphone out. 

“Is there a problem, officer?” He asked in a sharp tone. 

The officer frowned. “Can I see your identification?” He responded. 

The blonde grit his teeth. Finally, he pulled out his wallet. He handed over his visa card, along with a new and wonderful form his mother had dropped off. It was a temporary registration paper from the ministry affirming his secondary gender. As he did so, Yuri slipped the mask down and slid off his sun glasses, removing his imagined wall. 

“I’m registered, if that is what you care about.” He spat even as the officer studied the documents. 

This got Yuri a look from the officer. He wasn’t too impressed apparently with the youngers attitude. 

“Good. Then there isn’t an issue. Though, I suggest for your own sake you find a friend to walk with you.” His tone was casual. He returned Yuri’s credentials. It was the look of concern that made anger flood Yuri’s veins. “Omegas shouldn’t be…”

The blonde turned before the officer could finish that line of though, ignoring the way the officer suddenly shouted in anger. Within moments, Yuri had slipped into the crowd to return home. The omega was utterly disgusted with the world. 

\-----

It was after dinner that Yuri started to research his new secondary gender. The male had never paid attention in any of the classes as a kid when this topic was discussed. All he expressly knew was that omegas were weak and whiny compared to the strength of an alpha. 

The general facts he discovered amazed him. 

In total, only twelve percent of the population was omega. The remaining comprised of alphas, betas and those without a secondary gender. The breakdown of that was respectively forty percent alpha, twenty-seven percent beta, and twenty-one percent without. 

Russia had a terrible small population of omegas- at only three percent of the population. 

Almost all omegas in Russia were mated to favored politicians, the wealthy or the famous. 

Russia required the secondary gender to be registered with a national database. Yuri knew his mother had already completed that step. 

It was recommended for all omegas to have a companion- either a beta or an alpha who was almost constantly with them to keep any potential issue from occurring. Yuri guessed that could be Yakov. 

Studies found that although omegas often had a smaller statue, their strength was often the same of betas and even alphas. This was backed by various statistics and results of the Olympics, were a few omegas had beaten world records in track and field, gymnastics and swimming. To Yuri, it gave him hope that he truly could compete on the same level as his competition. 

Russia’s treatment of omegas was extremely unpopular.

Most of the other power nations allowed omegas the rights that Russia had denied- such as holding important jobs, getting into the top colleges, and ability to choose mates. 

Yuri shuttered slightly as his research brought up a fact he had forgotten. Unmated omegas who reached the age of 23 in Russia were forced to mate, with exceptions. They were given a choice of potential mates based off a personality test. There was no information about if such a thing still happened. The blonde could only guess the government censored such articles. 

The question he struggled with the most was one that he could not answer. Most sites referenced that omegas often had the ability to carry, no matter the primary sex. Though not all did. Tears of frustration about what his body could potentially do gathered in Yuri’s eyes. He never wanted kids. There seemed to be no way to tell if he was one of the ‘lucky’ ones who could without a medical test either. The test itself was pretty non-invasive, but the results were required to be reported by the Russian government. The test was luckily not required by the government any longer. It was the one exception to the rule of allowing an omega to go unmated until twenty-three. Yuri knew he could never have one of those tests. It would ruin his skating career to be forced to carry children. 

He finally pushed the laptop away. Though there was some things Yuri could not change, he could not help to realize that just maybe this was not the end of the world. 

At only fifteen, it gave him at least seven years to find an alpha that would not restrict him or flee the country. It meant that for a while Yuri would be able to continue to skate as he had. 

He shifted enough to stare at his new posture. The blonde had pinned it in the blank spot next to his doorway. It was extremely visible from his bed but greatly improved his mood. He was struggling to fight of the exhaustion of the day. 

Maybe, just maybe, he could figure out who that tiger was in the next few years. Maybe that model was mate material.


	7. Liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think this is the chapter that a lot of people thought I would put in sooner! However, it just worked so well here. I hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> Also, shameless plug, but check out my new story Night Walker!   
> Yuri P. is a prostitute!  
> Victor is a vampire Prince.   
> Yuri K. is Victor's lover.

Weeks slide by rather slowly for Yuri. He trained hard as he adjusted to his new status. The more he trained, the less he connected with his emotions as he had the first day back. The blonde could tell that Yakov was disappointed but thought better of telling Yuri he was failing. Some of it was the drugs- either making Yuri moderately depressed or irritatingly exhausted. More than a few times he claimed that going through heat would be better, even if that was lie. 

Three more times he got stopped by the police, whom only seemed to verify that Yuri had registered. Each time he was as snarky to the officers as possible. 

His first competition came sooner than he wanted. Yuri knew he wouldn’t peak until the Grand Prix, but he felt as though he was too far behind for Yakov’s tastes. Two weeks before the competition, the blonde did the only thing he felt like he could do. 

He texted Anton. 

For advice. 

About his heats.

> **From Yuri** _I do not think the suppressants are working. Can I seriously not just up the dose?_

The response came rather rapidly. It was not want Yuri wanted either.

> **From Anton** _Let’s meet up! We should really talk in person. Tomorrow after practice?_

Yuri scowled. 

> **From Yuri** _Seriously?_

He tossed his phone on the bed before waiting to see Anton’s response and returned to stretching. After weeks had passed, he still felt a strange attachment to Anton. Never before had the teen truly cared for someone like this. It had always been easy for him to just forget about someone. 

> **From Anton** _Please?_

> **From Anton** _I’ll buy._

The blonde did not text back until he had crawled in bed. He was more flexible than ever, but it was not translating too what Yakov was looking for. 

> **From Yuri** _Fine._

\-----

The warm air of the café was relaxing. The blonde did not have his sun glasses on, but kept his mask firmly in place. He spotted Anton first, the raven hair making him pause for the slightest moment. Though it was less than a moment later that Anton turned and waved Yuri over. 

“Please, sit. I just ordered. I got you your normal.” Right off the bat, Yuri noticed the tension in Anton’s eyes. He sat hesitantly across from the dancer. His instincts told him something was not right. 

After a long moment of studying the male, he finally pulled off the surgical mask. The scents of the café momentarily flooded Yuri’s senses. One of those being Anton’s strong scent. It brought back the last time they had seen each other. The night that Yuri had tried so hard to suppress. 

_Yuri felt so comfortable, curled in Anton’s grasp, the only sole occupant of Anton’s attention. The apartment itself only smelled of the other male dancer aided keeping the snow leopard relaxed._

_With the constant attention, Yuri found himself falling asleep. He barely moved when Anton finally set him on the soft cushions on the couch._

_He felt Anton curling around him in such a possessive manner, yet so comforting to the lonely kitten._

_The snow leopard nuzzled into the couch slightly more, pressing back into the warmth of Anton’s tiger form after the elder shifted._

_In this form, his instincts often took over. The word slipped into Yuri’s mind before he could register what it was, sleep so tempting._

The blonde jolted as he felt the slightest touch to his hand. 

“Hey. You look overwhelmed.” Anton said in a concerned manner, his expression matching the tone of his voice. 

“You lied.” The words barely matched how Yuri felt. 

Anxiety slipped into Anton’s expression. “I’m sorry. I never really told you-“ 

The blonde’s fingers slipped into fists, one of them clenching his phone. “No, Anton. Alpha.” It was too much. He stood, hating that suddenly it was not just anger but tears. Without really thinking, Yuri acted. He backhanded Anton hard in the face. Words were not enough. If he had felt used after that night, Yuri felt absolutely played and thrown out like trash now. “Don’t talk to me. Don’t EVER talk to me again.” He tried hard not to scream, truly, he did. 

Anton had let Yuri just believe the other was an omega. The bastard had played Yuri into revealing secrets he would have never entrusted to an alpha. One of those being how terrified he was of being omega. The other being that did like guys. It was something no one else knew about Yuri. 

Yuri had given the alpha permission to touch him. In fact, Yuri had given Anton partially every right to mate him. Anton could have the night. He ignored the fact that Anton had supplied him with suppressants and never once forced Yuri into a mating agreement. The male dancer was giving treating him rather closely to an equal, besides having shared his true secondary gender. 

“Bastard.” Yuri muttered, not letting Anton get a true word in. 

Though, Anton was oddly quiet. Even when Yuri assaulted the other, Anton just reached up to touch his cut lip before watching the omega sadly. Pity was one thing Yuri was starting to absolutely hate. 

He left in such a hurry that he was still fumbling to get his surgical mask back into place on the train station platform. He hated the tears that attempted to slip from his eyes. The blonde had almost wished Anton had tried to convince him to stay. In fact, Yuri checked his phone multiple times on the way back. 

He slammed the door to his room when he finally made it back to the security of it. The blonde was too aggravated to do anything relaxful. He changed hastily into jogging clothes, slipping out into the night to run off his angry. It helped distract him, his body exhausted already from the days’ worth of training he’d already done. He did not stray far from the house either, trekking close to two miles before finally giving him. Yuri’s muscles shook lightly as he was forced to walk the rest of the way back to Yakov’s place. 

Yakov only glanced to the blonde when he returned. Yuri choose not to break the silence either, returning to his room out of choice. It was easier to be alone. 

> **From Anton** _I am sorry. I won’t bother you again, but your about to go into heat. Please be safe._

It was enough to place a heavy dose of dread through the young blonde. A heat? Right before the first qualifier? Yakov would surely pull him out. He still had training to do. His flight left in a little over five days to Canada. Maybe.. Maybe there would be some way to fix it. The only other person he knew to ask for help for from was Mila, but she would certainly tell Yakov. Though it wasn’t like he would be able to train through it. He typed out a message slowly but couldn’t bring himself to send it. Maybe it was just a ploy from Anton to get Yuri to talk to him again. 

In the end, Yuri curled on his bed and waited for sleep to claim him. When it did, his sleep was terrorized by nightmares. 

Though the morning brought worse news. He woke blissfully relaxed and warm. Yuri was content in laying drowsy for a few minutes before the twinges of arousal began to place their nasty hooks in him. 

This couldn’t be happening. The suppressants should have stopped this. Yuri had followed the directions to the letter, even setting an alarm on his phone so he took them at the same time each night. 

He fumbled with his phone, checking the time before feeling the insane urge to cry. 

Telling Yakov was beyond awkward and painful. He had not even bothered dressing, wearing pajama pants with little lions all over them and a sweatshirt. 

Yakov had sighed. “Maybe it’s for the best. You connected well with your emotions after your first heat. In Canada, I will set up an appointment with doctors there. They should be able to figure out why you are not responding to the suppressants. Until then, you’ll stay here and wait it out. I’ll make sure you get food and anything else. We will reschedule your flight if needed.” 

At least his coach believed in him. Yuri could only nod before returning upstairs before embarrassing himself further. He knew his scent conveyed exactly what he was feeling. 

He prayed for the gentleness of his last heat, which had mainly just been the general relaxing weakness in his muscles. Occasionally, weak waves of arousal had passed through his body. 

By lunch, Yuri just wanted to die though. He’d hastily pulled his hair away from his face. The waves of arousal never let up and barely reacted to his own hasty attempts to relieve himself since soon after the coach had left. 

> **From Mila** _How’s my beautiful omega faring?_

His phone beeping had finally become enough of an annoyance that he looked at the text. 

> **From Yuri** _leave me alone._

> **From Yuri** _I hate this._

 

He typed out, unable to truly be angry at the older skater for once. How were heat cycles supposed to last four to five days? And more importantly, how would he survive this and be able to skate at nationals? 

> **From Mila** _Don’t worry angry kitten. I’ll send something with Yakov to help you out._

There was too many meaning to that for Yuri to even care. Mila at least had seen an omega in heat. She had almost quit skating a few years back when a good friend of hers was seeking an alpha. Apparently Mila had determined after spending time with the omega that her friend needed someone better. It had happened when the omega called Mila over to ‘hang out’ but was just seeking company for the heat. Skating was just less drama at the end of the day, or an easier commitment. 

It took an eternity for his coach to come home. Though hunger was not even something Yuri could comprehend at the moment. All of his emotions and feelings were too tangled up at the moment. 

He frowned at the knock on his door. “I’m decent enough.” Yuri bit out. 

The blonde was wearing a massively oversized shirt. He also had the covers pulled over his lap as he forced himself to sit up for ever was entering.

He couldn’t look at the door as it opened. The scent registered as Yakov. “Eat at least half of this before you sleep tonight.” 

So it was food. The blonde nodded, unable to trust his voice. “This is from Mila and Lilia. They said it would help out.” 

Yuri glanced over to the bag being set on the ground. “Umm.. Okay.” He wanted Yakov gone. Everything hurt. 

A glance towards Yakov’s face told he that he could see that the alpha could tell how harsh the cycle was, but left without prying. 

The blonde had to work up the courage to even move. He finally made it over to the food. It was a vanilla protein shake and some fruits. Sweet foods, which Yuri found oddly appealing. The blonde curled against the door as he pulled his shirt over his legs. He pressed the cold glass of the milk shake against his forehead, groaning at his wonderful the distraction felt. Hopefully the food would be enough of a distraction for a few minutes of peace from the horrible waves of arousal. 

The drink was finished easily. It calmed some of the emptiness he felt. The sweetness was also comforting. The chill aided to slightly reduce his fevered body. The fruits required more work and soon Yuri left them forgotten. 

The bag was drawing his attention. Hesitantly, Yuri picked it up before returning to the warmth and softness of his bed. Maybe he could finally get some sleep instead of letting the minutes pass by like eternity. Still, whatever was inside was supposed to help his heat. 

Yuri yanked the zipped of the bag open but froze. Inside was clothes. Clothes that smelled like an alpha he knew. Anton’s clothing. The omega couldn’t move as arousal hit him so hard he cried out from pain. 

This was supposed to help him? 

He trembled, too exhausted to deal emotionally with this. God all he wanted was someone to take care of him and instead this? 

Yuri couldn’t explain what caused him to pull the jacket from the bag. It had to be the instincts to seek out an alpha to give what was needed. The blonde had never felt more relieved that only Yakov was around and too old to get any sort of reaction from the teen. Anton’s scent was just so comforting, reminding him of the gentle touches that the alpha had dealt him when training. He curled around it, pressing the jacket into his face as the scent was too appealing. 

_Alpha._

He hated all of this. With the strong alpha scent so close, Yuri found the intense pain of need loosening slightly. Tears slipped from his eyes as he willed all of this to just stop. The confusion was the absolutely worse. The hormones making him want what his rational side knew would ruin him. There was no way that any bonded male would let Yuri travel the world, or spend hours training to come home with bruises and blistered feet. 

_Safety._

He reached into the bag and pulled out whatever else was in it. The stronger the scent was, the weaker Yuri felt with exhaustion. He wiggled enough to slip out of the horribly itchy T-shirt and covered himself instead of the alphas’ clothing. It was enough to trick Yuri’s instincts to believe that there was an alpha there, even if the room just only held the young omega. Something would have to change. There was not much more that Yuri could handle. 

_Mine._

In heat, the hormones made Yuri want so badly. And that want was solely directed at Anton. It was the only alpha scent that Yuri could bare without feeling absolutely nauseated. The only scent that Yuri had remotely felt interested in.


	8. Canada

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am sorry that this took so long to get out. I got distracted by a Yuuri/Victor piece (It should be up soon, just have to do some last minute edits and decide on the title.. those I struggle with a ton)
> 
> That being said, I really wish I could keep a consistent posting schedule but I fear that is impossible. I do want to keep this as close as possible to the anime, but of course there are things that I either miss or just cannot seem to get to match the anime just right. One of those is the competitions that Yuri competed in. I am sure it would help if I truly knew all the ins and outs of skating. I did some research on it but not a ton as I am balancing writing with coursework. I guess my point with this is just that I hope you guys stay interested and continue to read this! I appreciate all of the support!
> 
> I hope to have the next chapter up within the next week as well! I love Episode 8, and it gave me some great ideas as to were to take this story in the future!

The heat broke after three days. Yuri slept the fourth day in preparation for the flight. He packed late that evening, choosing to ignore practically everyone. Anton’s clothes were shoved back into their bag but Yuri couldn’t bring himself to text the other to come pick them up. Instead, he gave them to Yakov to give to Lilia. 

The morning of the flight, Yuri slipped out of the house to skate. Yakov had mentioned it might help him relax on the flight. It probably did. 

As normal, the seats were first class. Yuri found that his muscles already ached from the light skate he’d done in the morning. He hardly remembered falling asleep but woke when Yakov nudged him, looking disoriented. The flight attendants gave him snacks and juice to help him through customs and security. The blonde bet it was the he still smelled of heat as to why they were so kind to him. That and he slept like the absolute dead. 

“Once you get situated, you have a doctors’ appointment. After that, I want you to do another light skate and then run through the routines.” Yakov said once they were through the maze of the airports. 

Yuri sighed, not wanting to deal with any of this. Competitions had been so much easier without his secondary gender looming over him. 

He knew his parents would not spare any expense on his medical treatment though. All it had taken to get the okay was for Yakov to mention it was disrupting practice. Now Yuri faced at least two, if not three appointments with one specialist in the span of a week. The blonde knew a second probably was on speed dial in case the first did not have an answer. 

The ride to the hotel was boring at best. He at least let his parents know that he was safe. They would be flying in a few days later, unable to take off as much time. 

In the past, Yuri would have shared a hotel suite with Yakov. Now, Yuri knew that arrangement would never work. Instead, he was placed on the top floor in a scent proof room. It required two sets of keys- one for the elevator and one for the room. It was more of a pain than anything. 

He didn’t bother unpacking completely. The only things Yuri did unpack was his costume and skates. Yuri put together his bag for practice later before showering quickly and changing. Airports left behind an awful feeling that he was dirty. It left a little time before he needed to leave for the doctors. 

The blonde went down to one of the many cafes in the hotel and ordered food. He had picked through what interested him when his coach finally appeared. At least from the old mans’ perspective, finding Yuri eating pleased him. 

\----

Forms. These would be the death of Yuri. Yakov had dumped them in Yuri’s lap to sort through, only aiding the omega when he had questions. He found it distinctly embarrassing to write down all of the symptoms since presenting. The only thing Yakov could provide was the name and strength of his suppressant. The coach also insisted on coming with Yuri when the blonde was finally called back. 

The first shock was that the doctor did not ask him to change into a medical gown. It had been a constant since he had gained the ability to shift. 

The next was that the specialist was an omega herself, though one older in age. Yuri hated how he relaxed instantly in seeing that it was not going to be a bossy alpha dealing again with his heat. She gave Yuri a knowing smile that did not irritate him either. 

“So, you’re not responding to suppressants. Though I am not surprised since you have not been tested for fertility. With your permission, I would like to draw blood to see if you possess the inability to bear children. It is the most common reason as to why an omega does not respond to this suppressant.” The doctor gave him a gentle smile. 

Yuri just stared at her. “I am willing to go whatever it takes not to have heats. I cannot stand this.”

She nodded, glancing to Yakov who nodded as well. “Okay! Can you take the hoodie off? You can sit back completely against the chair.” 

It was apparent that they had been expecting to draw blood from the fact that a tray with the needed supplies was already there. “So this is common?” Yuri asked softly, wanting to get more information. 

The doctor hummed in response, prepping Yuri’s arm gently. “Well, as uncommon as infertile omegas are. If so, you have just as many options for treatment. We can discuss those later. I am concerned with your strong sense of smell. Is it all scents that bother you concerning secondary genders or just alphas?” 

Yuri could not draw his eyes away from the preparations of his arm. The sight of the needle going in did not bother the blonde too much either. “Just alphas. Betas I do not have an issue with, nor other omegas.” Yuri wanted to leave it at that so badly, but squirmed slightly at the three different vials of blood drawn. “It’s most alphas. So far, I have only found one that I can stand. His helped…” He trailed off. Was it illegal in Canada to use an alphas scent impregnated items during heat like in Russia? 

“Do not worry about the laws, hun. I would not be a popular specialist if I turned in omegas.” She spoke easily as the needle was pulled out, putting a ball of cotton to Yuri’s arm before putting a band-aid on. “Was it during your heat that his scent helped? Calmed the longing?” 

Yuri could only blush as she spoke before hesitantly nodding. “Yes.” He whispered out. 

“That’s normal. Though the scent irritation is not. I’ll have the nurse bring you some samples of an additional suppressants for the next few days. There should be no side effects.” Yuri watched as his blood was set aside, sliding awkwardly back into his jacket. 

“Since I doubt you have seen a good doctor since you presented, I would like to go over some general knowledge. Feel free to ask questions at any point.” Off one of the tables, she picked up a small booklet and offered it to Yuri. It was one of many within the stack. 

“This is yours. Do with it what you want. It has some general knowledge about omegas, as well as many common myths. As I am sure you are aware, it is more of a myth than truth that omegas are physically weaker. Most just choose to pursue family. That being said, it is also a myth that omegas can only bond with alphas. There are many cases here and around the world of successfully happy omega/omega and omega/beta couples. Pheromones can signal potential mates, like this alphas scent whom you mentioned. Those these are just potentials. It has never been proven that a scent means you are an absolute match.” These were all things Yuri had wondered. He held the book tightly, following her words rapidly. 

“If you do decide to mate, know that if it is an alpha that you will bound to that. Though other forms of bonds do work, ones with alphas cannot be broken except by death. Mating an alpha will make the commands harder to break. Since you have been on suppressants, you have not felt the true weight of a command. Just know that an alpha’s bite would make them stronger, but in return for safety and protection. A pre-bond can form if you spend a lot of time physically touching an alpha, or allowing him to knot you in heat.” The words made Yuri blush harder and hunch in a bit, unable to look at Yakov. “The pre-bond can be broken with enough time spent apart, but it’ll hurt. I know this is awkward, but these are basics that you should know Yuri. I can save the rest for when you come back for your results, if you wish.” 

Yuri stared down at his hands. Did he want to wait until after the competition to hear all of this? “No, now. But a condensed version?” He had a few days to process after this. 

The doctor laughed softly. “There isn’t much left. Mainly, I just wanted to talk to you about potentially getting some self-defense classes. The number of raped omega cases are still increasing. I do not want that to happen to one of my patients. Though you will produce slick, the fear of rapes has proven to prevent that.” 

Nope, Yuri did not want to go there. No questions about that. Could she please be done now? His embarrassment to the topic caused him to completely miss how Yakov reacted, which was a steadier frown. 

“I’ll, ummm, consider it. I often have an escort to and from practice.” He figured it would be a no in favor of training though. 

“He’ll complete one after this season.” Yakov answered shortly as well. 

“Good! Until them, keep a close on Yuri.” The doctor seemed pleased. “I’ll put a rush on the tests. We should have the results within four days. Since you already have the next appointment set up, just wait here until my nurse comes by to give you the samples. You should take one now, and then one tonight. If the scents are not better by tomorrow afternoon, call my office as I will order additional testing on your blood.” Yuri nodded, so glad this appointment was over. By far, it was the least he had ever needed to do. 

\----

The competition came too soon. A whirlwind of last minute training before the two nights of performances. For once, he hoped the long routine was first rather than the short. He was anxious about skating, doubting the routine would give him the scores he needed. Yakov only commented once that it was a solid routine and that Yuri would follow it. It wasn’t the jumps Yuri was stressed about either, but the fact this routine would only be prefect if he could connect emotionally with it. 

Lately, each time had been equally disastrous. 

Yuri had the surgical mask slipped over his face as waited for this time to skate. He’d pulled a middle number, which meant that he wouldn’t ever be first or last. Yuri would have preferred first tonight and last tomorrow though. Yakov sat silently a few feet away, ignoring the nervous blonde. 

Yuri had his music turned up pretty loud. The night before he had terrible nightmares of an alpha forcing him to give up skating. The ice was all Yuri knew. 

He closed his eyes for a few moments. 

Slowly, Yuri slipped the mask from his face and stowed it in his bag. 

He would do this. Yuri was proud of his talents, and it would not be this new secondary gender that took it from him. 

The blonde completed a few last minute stretches before sliding into his skates. He frowned at the man who came into the waiting area to tell Yuri he was up next. The blonde did shred his jacket and headphones though, setting them on the rest of his belongings. He scowled for on last moment before letting that façade go as well. 

Yuri was beautiful. A dancer. A prima ballerina. Innocent yet strong. 

As Yuri slide out onto the ice, he forced himself to remember that. 

The first half of the routine went better than the second half. It jolted himself out of his relaxed state when he failed to jump high enough for a quad, only preforming a triple. The fragments were just enough to get him through the end. It felt like a failure. He barely talked to Yakov as the night concluded, feeling ashamed of his failures, 

The next morning he was forced by Yakov to do yoga. When it failed to calm the blonde, his coach finally made him sit for a catered in lunch. 

“Speak. I am tired of watching you chew on whatever is bothering you. Tell me it now, all of it.” Everything about the words spoke of a command. It went through Yuri’s core. 

He gritted his teeth hard, but it made sense logically to tell his coach. Like he should have, long ago. 

“The dancer that Lilia set me up with to train me.” It wasn’t enough. Yuri could feel the weight of the command force the words out. He let out a harsh sigh. “I thought he was an omega. He smelled like one, I thought. I trusted him. He convinced me to spend the night at his place. I showed him my shifted form and we slept together all night because he promised to make it okay with you to use suppressants. Then he just quit teaching me. I presented a week later. He used me. It all clicked when I went to ask him more questions about omegas. Then I had my second heat. And Mila sent over a bag of his worn clothing.” God he felt so much like crying. “His scent is the only one I used to be able to stand. It made my heat so much easier.” 

He took a sip of his drink to calm the way his throat clenched. “Yakov, he used me. I still cannot figure out what he got out of it besides rights to claim me as a mate. I am not ready to mate. I didn’t not even want to trust him, but I thought he was an omega. He felt so trustworthy. I hate everything about my secondary gender.” 

Everything just felt numb to him as the blonde ran out of words. He stared at the cup in his hands, glad that it at least wasn’t betraying him. His hands did shake slightly as he took another sip out it, startling hard when Yakov spoke. 

“Anton, yes?” Yakov confirmed. 

Yuri let out a small nod. 

“He did confirm with me that it would be okay to supply you with suppressants. He told me how hard you continued to train.” It was if the alpha knew just hearing that calmed Yuri slightly. 

“As for what he got, some of it was probably just trying to help you. Your shifted form should never be a source of shame. Just as I have told you since you started shifting. I had hoped you would eventually grow confident of it, but it seems not. So, I could only believe that Anton thought the same as well and tried to get you more confident in all of yourself. I have known him since he was young, Yuri. He is not a bad guy. He just, doesn’t know how to explain himself.” Yakov’s tone sounded completely honest. 

It was enough that Yuri slipped a glance. Yakov was watching the young omega, but was clearly concerned. 

“If you ever feel threatened again, you come straight to me.” Yakov said with more authority in his tone. “I would not have brought you to Canada if I did not think you had a good chance at making the finals. You will perform your routine tonight just as we have discussed. After that, we will sort this Anton thing out back at Russia. He will not force you into a bonding, as that would get you executed.” The coach nodded once more, and Yuri knew the conversation was over now. 

The emotional exhaustion was worse than even after a heat. He sat through the meal patiently, but excused himself to sleep the few hours before the events started again tonight. 

\-----

2nd place. 

The scores announced. 

Silver. 

That was it? 

The blonde accepted the metal and flowers, and suffered a picture with the other medalists. He skated more slowly on the ice back to his coach. 

Everyone seemed so pleased. 

He performance had not felt silver medal worthy. In truth, he had barely prepped for the long routine this afternoon. Napping had cut into his prep time, though his mother had insisted the braid tying at least some of his hair away from his face would win the audience. 

Though it was not the audience Yuri had performed for this evening. 

His thoughts had swirled around Yakov’s words. It was true. Yuri had never truly accepted the other half of him, the rarer half. Shifting was exactly predominant in the population. Becoming an endangered animal was even less so. The blonde had napped in his kitten form, curled in a nest of pillows and blankets. It left him feeling oddly light even he turned back. The other bonus was that the blonde finally looked less exhausted. No one had commented on his subdued state though. 

Stepping out into the ice, Yuri had connected more easily with the song. Both pieces were more gentle than he normally skated- this one more so than his short piece. Anton’s words kept seeping back to him though. All of the texts that had come during and after their practice sessions. 

_Keep your chin up today when you practice, Yuri._

_Do not push too hard today_

_Make sure you focus on posture- shoulder back, chest high_

_Think about why you started, or what made you stay skating_

_Practice spins today_

_Listen to your favorite song and use its inspiration when you cannot find any other_

_Yuri, smile._

A soft smile did slide across his lips as he danced. The routine itself had been simple compared to what he preferred. The ending combination was his favorite. The jumps and spins came to him as easily as breathing. Leaving the ice even for a few seconds always felt like flying. The world would go still. Landing the jumps left his breathless. The step sequences caught him up, more often than not unable to keep from switching sides of his blade still.

The one choreograph piece Yuri had never practiced in the routine was the ending. A pose the blonde had distinctly refused to even practice. It showed as he attempted to finally bring it into the routine. Yuri ended with his back to the ice, hand reaching for the ceiling. The sharpness of the lights blurred the vision of his eyes. 

“Good job, Yuri. Second place can be worked with.” Yakov said, handing over his blade covers. 

The blonde could only shrug. “Can I go back to the hotel yet?” 

To say he was a bit disappointed was an understatement, but it had been a terrible week. 

The coach nodded, helping the young omega through the crowd and reporters back to their car. As of now, Yuri’s main quote to any reporter was ‘no comment’. His personal life was his own, including the new status of his secondary gender. 

\-----

“Welcome back, Yuri.” The omega doctor was a morning person. Why had he not noticed this beforehand. 

“Hi.” Yuri muttered. 

His mother sat where Yakov had sat last time, giving the doctor an appraising eye. Since the appointment was the day after his competition, she had worked out her schedule to stay until this evening. 

“How are the scents now?” She asked, referencing his chart. 

Yuri frowned. “Better.” It was true that they were better, but too close to some alphas still made his stomach knot. 

“Good! Well, your bloodwork came back. I want you to know that this is somewhat rare.” She was talking it such a calming tone it was irritating the omega. “You seem to be infertile.”

“Seem?” His mother asked, eyes narrowing. 

The doctor nodded slowly. “Yes. His tests came back with strong indicator of infertility. However, it was noted that his blood was marked with low levels of what we normally associate with fertility. There are some explanations, one of them being that your secondary gender is so new to you. The fertility hormone is often linked in aiding an omegas body to adapting to its new status, so it could just trace amounts from presenting.

“The other theory, and mind it is not supported by research, would be the indicator of a true mate. I already have told Yuri once that I do not believe in such a thing. Now, we have some options. I can perform a more invasive test here in an hour if you want a firm answer. Or we can start Yuri on the one suppressant which has proven effective for those that do not respond well to pills, and would reduce his heats to once every other year.” The doctor looked more towards his mother. 

“I would rather be done sooner, than later.” His mother responded, checking her watch before glancing to Yuri. “Besides, if the test says he is infertile, we will leave it at that. It is better for his career anyways.” 

Yuri shivered slightly. His mother sounded pleased. Though it was what he wanted, the blonde felt a bit betrayed. 

“So what I recommend is for Yuri to get a chip. It would be implanted within his thigh muscle. The chip has an effective life of a year, so he would need to return to a country in which this operation is performed on a yearly basis to get a new one inserted. Though after two straight years, it is recommended to go a month without it to let your body readjust. It also keeps you from growing immune to the suppressant. The plus to the chip is that it will reduce your hormone levels almost completely to nothing. This means your scent will reduce, but also all dynamics related to your scent reduces. These are highly used in children who present at rather young ages and athletes with great success. It is relatively painless, but I can administer a local numbing agent to the area.” 

Yuri watched with wide eyes as she moved around. No heat was exactly what he wanted. However, getting something implanted sounded terrible. Before he could really process, the room was cleared with clear instructions for Yuri to change into a hospital gown. He opened the door slightly when he was done to let his mother back in. 

He couldn’t even smile to her. 

The blonde perched on the edge of the examination table. The gown was massive on his slim form. 

The doctor returned with a tray and a nurse. Her instructions were gentle- lay back, you might feel a pinch, lets’ give the area a minute to numb up, relax, almost down now.

When it was all over, Yuri sat up slowly and stared at the bandage. 

“I would give it a few days before transforming. Try not to rub it too hard as it could move around. The area may stay inflamed for a few weeks, completely normal. I would stop taking all the pills now, if you haven’t already.” Yuri just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. 

Tonight, he would head home with his mother back to Russia. Maybe everything would start coming together with his secondary gender put back to where it should belong, the sidelines.


	9. Why Him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I HAVE FAN ART!!!! Please take a look at this awesome piece by 3ubva! I LOVE IT! 
> 
> https://twitter.com/3ubra/status/806207965833396226
> 
> I honestly never thought my story would get this much response. So thank you guys. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, I guess I just wanted to restate (or state?) that though I am attempting to follow with the anime, I can't follow it 100%. I do like stepping away from the anime because I feel it adds to the story. But, episode 10 gave me so many ideas but also a huge setback. I appreciate everyone's patience.

Three days of rest were given after the competition. Over half of that time was spent by the blonde either traveling or sleeping. Competitions always had the effect of wiping Yuri out. It was worse due to the amount of stress the blonde faced before the whole event. 

Now, everything was clicking back into place. The new form of hormone suppressants worked so well. He also realized just what of his new life had been causing his discomfort, besides just the overwhelming scents. Humming just below the surface had been the threat of commands. An alpha could have practically forced the young omega to do anything without the suppressants. Yakov never gave one. The old alpha having extremely powerful control over his tone. However, the threat had been enough stress for the young male. There was no real protection for him. If some alpha decided he wanted Yuri, he could have practically had his way. 

The suppressants made Yuri feel human again. Of course, that was truly just that he so close to his life before presenting. He no longer felt the urge to submit to alphas just due to hormones playing with his brain. The waves of occasional but sickening arousal were gone. The scents of others faded to the background again. Everything clicked back to where it should be. It was a temporary solution to a long-term problem though. Something the blonde hoped to ignore.

Over the course of the three days, he had memorized all the facts given in the book his doctor had handed him. Almost every part of his new status and life the blonde struggled with. The book recommended going to see a specialized therapist to deal with these issues. Only, that was impossible in Russia. If anyone besides his coach found out his struggles, Yuri was at risk of being sent off to a private hospital aimed at ‘readjusting’ struggling omegas. It sounded more like hell.

His parents had all but disappeared again as well. Not that it mattered. His grandfather had sent him a small present for doing so well in Canada along with a gentle note. The note said that no matter what, he would accept Yuri as part of his family. It had been sweet and prompted a long overdue call from the blonde. He realized in all his time suffering through the changes that he had forgotten to seek help from his grandfather. At least now he knew that he was not alone. 

Resuming training felt right. There were many things in the routine Yuri needed not only to fix, but improve. Competition this year was strong. It excited the blonde to work harder to win. He also wanted to prove to Victor that he was more worthy than that Japanese omega. If Victor came back, he wouldn’t need to worry so much about having an alpha around. The older skater would have that covered. Plus, in Yuri’s opinion, it was just plain sad that Victor was pinning over a Japanese omega with such little natural talent in the sport. 

Yakov had him working on his jumps today. Finally. Yuri felt strong today and loved to be able to take advantage of that. Though he had always been able to land triples, Yakov was making Yuri focus harder now on his blade work. It was exhausting. Each time Yuri jumped, his goal was to ensure it was prefect. It took more focus than the blonde recently had been given practice. He did not realize why Yakov had assigned it to him until it was time for a break. 

“Yuri, you have the next hour off. Lilia has brought Anton to the café. You will sit with him and figure out your issues. If it takes longer than an hour, that is fine. In fact, do not come back here until this will not be affecting your skating.” Yakov’s tone was harsh, but it was for the best. “Remember what I told you about him too.” He offered before turning back to aid his other skaters, notably Georgi. 

The words did not register until after Yakov stepped away either. Yuri felt the water-bottle he had been given start to slip form his fingers and suddenly clenched it hard. He knew that Yakov would keep his word, but why here of all places. With the competitions and the recent wins by the Russian team, there was no true way of knowing if or when press would be around. 

He slipped out of his skates but left his training bag behind. To say he stomped to the café would probably be accurate as well. 

Anton sat with his back to the door. Yuri could tell instantly which was Anton, but took his time getting his food before coming to sit in front of the dancer. 

“You almost ruined my chances at the Grand Prix this year. Yakov helped calm me down, but you owe me a rather large explanation about why you did not reveal your secondary gender sooner. If I find it reasonable, I might forgive you.” Yuri kept his tone low, but he chose not to do much about the scowl on his face. Or the fact that he failed to give Anton a proper greeting. 

Anton smiled weakly. “Hi Yuri. I know.” His tone was saddened. “Your performance was wonderful. I watched it live. Congratulations on second place.” 

Anton himself had a smoothie in front of him. Yuri knew that the other was probably on a diet to either maintain or drop weight before his next round of shows. Yuri only nodded slightly. Second place wasn’t what he was going for, but the offer was polite. 

A sigh slipped from Anton’s lips. The alpha figured out rather quickly that Yuri was only going to wait for the explanation. 

“Just let me know if I do not answer all your questions. But other than that, I hope you keep this private, between us.” Anton visibly relaxed when Yuri gave a slight nod. “Okay. I have trained under Lilia for years now, which you already know. With that means I work almost exclusive with omegas. I do often help the omegas get suppressants, but the only real reason I know so much about them is that I also take suppressants. I presented at nine years old. I presented with one of the rarer genes, known as rut. Without suppressants, I would go into rut once every three months. It was highly inappropriate at nine years old, and not something I particularly care for now.”

Yuri had taken to watching Anton. The alpha had taken to staring at his drink as he spoke in soft tones. It was interesting to see Anton not as sure of himself. 

“I really did not mean to hurt you. It’s just, Lilia thought it would be best for you to not know I was an alpha. With the suppressants, I often can pass off being a beta. But the more I spent time around you, the more I felt like it was wrong. I honestly did mean to tell you sooner, but there was always one struggle after the next for you. And that night at my place, you just seemed so upset that it just was not the right time. So I chickened out and put some distance between us until I could figure out what to do. But I should have realized that this was the wrong course of action and that I hurt you.”

He ruffled through his jacket before pulling out a small wrapped box. “You seem better now, but I got you a small gift as an apology.” Yuri watched the gift be placed in-front of him, but just continued to study Anton. 

The alpha stayed silent as Yuri’s eyes narrowed. At least he could tell now that Yuri was on the verge of asking a question. The blonde pushed his hair away from his eyes in a frustrated manor. Yuri had started keeping his hair completely down, allowing the blonde locks to cover half his face. Right now he wished to see Anton without them obstructing his view. 

“I don’t get why you insisted I come over to your place. Explain that to me.” It truly was a big mystery to Yuri. 

“I just thought it would help you. By my age, I had spent multiple nights with friends in my shifted form. I thought if you did the same, you may feel more comfortable in your own. I had done some research online and found that studies have found a correlation of shifters who spend time shifted with others being more confident than those that did not. I held you and petted you for so long because I could smell the tension rolling off you. And once I started, you relaxed so beautifully that I couldn’t stop. I enjoyed taking care of you after spending so much time with you.” It was the truth. Yuri could tell as Anton had kept his gaze steady at Yuri well he spoke. 

“So why did you just end our sessions after that?” Yuri pressed harder, not pleased with the short answer he had gotten earlier. 

Anton’s face fell. “I realized that I liked you more than I should, for one. But I also realized my mistake and the fact that our friendship would be affected by my status. I guess I just selfishly wanted to keep our friendship the same in my memories. I had already broken your trust, I did not want to hurt you more by telling you the truth. I thought with the distance that I could come to terms with my feelings.” 

“What feelings?” If Anton was going to mention them, then Yuri wanted to know. 

“Like I said, I like you. I’ve known that for a while. However, the night we spent on the couch, I realized my tiger more than just liked you. He wants to mate you, but I am not quite ready for that and you certainly aren’t.” Anton couldn’t stop the slight blush in his cheeks. He fidgeted slightly but waited for more questions from Yuri. 

Yuri’s guard had slipped, showing how exhausted he looked even after the days of rest. He lowered his own gaze as he thought about what this meant. Anton had not been using him, but attempted to protect Yuri and their friendship. It was so unlike most alphas Yuri had met who would have just pressed Yuri into a relationship. He found himself playing with the edges of the gift lightly, still not opening it. Whatever was inside could possibly sway his judgement of the discussion at this moment. 

Though, it did not help that Anton mentioned what he could shift into. Yuri only vaguely remembered the tiger form, but the weight of it pressed into his back was something he missed often well when shifted. 

Could Anton be the tiger from the poster? Yuri pushed that hopeful thought down. Now was not the time. 

“I…” Yuri frowned, before scowling. “Thanks for explaining that, I guess.” He felt so awkward. His mother would want him to apologize like a proper omega for shouting at the alpha. That probably wasn’t going to happen though, at least not today.

Anton nodded slightly. “I should have done it sooner? Is there anything else I can answer for you? I don’t want to hold you from practice.” Anton glanced to his watch, but Yuri could see that he was saddened. 

Yuri glanced at his own. There was still ten solid minutes before he could show himself at the rink. “What have you been doing since canceling our practice?” Yuri would deny to everyone that he had once told the alpha to never speak to him again. 

Anton raised an eyebrow. “I started rehearsing early for the new production. Then Lilia got angry and told me I would get bored too early with it, so I took some extra modeling jobs. To say the agency was pleased with my new hair color would be a lie.” Anton’s eyes had lit up as he spoke. Maybe he realized Yuri did not hate him. 

Yuri gave a hum. “Why did you change it? The blonde was nice.” In truth, he thought the black hair did not match Anton at all. 

“For the production. I thought I should get used to it. I do miss the blonde though.” Anton just shrugged, relaxing into the seat finally. 

“Did you keep up with the stretching? I proposed to Lilia that maybe you should come back to practice with us for a bit as a refresher before the next round of competitions.” Anton teased, smiling at the scowl Yuri gave him in return. 

“I have. However, I doubt that will help me now. Yakov wants me to focus on my blade work and technique.” Yuri honestly was not ready to spend hours with this alpha again. Even with the scent blockers he could still smell Anton’s scent easily, and it was rather comforting in an uncomfortable way. 

Anton shrugged. Yuri spoke before the alpha could, pushing his phone across the table. It was Yuri’s turn to look a little more than embarrassed. “I may have deleted your number from my phone. Can I have it back?” 

The alpha did not owe Yuri anything anymore. The blonde couldn’t help but feel anxious that Anton would say no. Though he couldn’t help the smallest of smiles slipping across his lips when Anton just picked up the device and typed in his number again. 

“Of course. Text me whenever, as always. I am leaving for a week to go back to my family, but I have already informed Lilia that I will be here to watch you skate. I even have the tickets.” Anton gave back the device, smiling to Yuri again. “I truly appreciate that you letting me explain. Now, I’ll let you get back to practice.” 

Yuri could tell that Anton happy with the meeting. And he needed to get back to skating. Though, Yuri still knew he would be thinking about Anton and that did not exactly follow Yakov’s orders. Yuri could feel it in his gut that he couldn’t leave the conversation at this either. 

“Could we meet for coffee in a few days?” Yuri couldn’t stop the light blush this time. It was nice to have someone else to speak with. Plus Anton was still pleasant to deal with. 

Anton just smiled. “I would love that, Yuri. I’ll text you details. My treat.” 

The blonde nodded, slipping back to the rink and sliding into his skates again. Yakov half way down the rink talking with Georgi, which meant Yuri had some time to warm up. It was while gliding across the ice again that he noticed Anton leaning against the wall edge, talking with Yakov. Most likely asking if Yuri could return to ballet lessons, which brought a scowl to the blondes face as he switched to moving backwards. Recently Yuri had begun working on a quad flip, as it seemed that his competition may call for that. Yakov did not mind as long as he did not injure himself. 

By the time Yuri was aware of his surroundings again and not completely focused on the ice, Anton had disappeared. 

\----

The few days between seeing Anton gave Yuri time to think about everything. Yuri called his grandfather again. It would be pleasant to let his mother know that he was talking to an alpha. Especially since Yuri may have stated in the heat of the moment to his mother that he never planned to mate while on the plane. He trusted his grandfather to not spill the secret. 

The conversation had still left him blushing hard. 

It was probably why he appeared at the café dressed slightly more nicely than normal. To Yuri, this meant that he brushed and styled his hair like he did for competitions. He also switched from one of his old hoodies to a brand new one, and his old sneakers to combat boots which accented his legs. 

Yuri was glad for once it was not bitterly cold. Maybe just a good day today. The café was packed. Most likely due to the nice weather outside. No open tables. 

The blonde sighed, glancing to his phone. Anton had texted a few minutes ago that he was running late. Hopefully a table would open before Anton got here. In the meantime, Yuri ordered his own drink. Even if Anton said he would pay, Yuri decided that it would be best to buy for himself. 

After he paid, a table in the corner opened. He settled in the seat against the wall, watching the crowd with a frown. A server brought over his drink- hot chocolate with wiped cream. Yakov had noted over the past weeks that Yuri had lost too much weight, so he was allowed to have such things. 

The blonde watched Anton walk in. The other did not realize he was here, finally giving a half-hearted wave. It caught Anton’s attention well. 

“Yuri, I told you I would cover this.” Anton pouted as he made his way over. He set down his bag. “I’ll be right back.” Anton left to order his own. 

Yuri sipped his own drink, playing around on his phone until Anton returned. He was wearing the gift Anton had given him last time, a necklace with a tiger charm on it. It was small enough to easily be missed if someone wasn’t looking for the chain. 

Anton settled in the seat across from him finally. “I spoke with Yakov. Though Lilia and I wanted you to come train more, Yakov thinks you have better things to do. So, I’m sorry. You look better though, more relaxed.” 

Yuri nodded slightly. “I have a lot of work before the next competition.” Could he really say what he had planned to tell Anton now? 

“I know.” Anton nodded. “This actually worked out for the best too. The main female lead of my next production broke her arm last night. So, I have to start working on relearning the performance with a new ballerina.”

“Did you drop her?” Yuri asked, watching as Anton flushed suddenly. 

“N-no! She was messing around on stage and tripped. I would never drop someone.” 

“I was joking.” Yuri deadpanned, catching Anton off guard. “Anyways, I thought more about this situation. I need to focus on these competitions. But, maybe in December, after the Final Grand Prix, we could hangout more.” It wasn’t often that an omega initiated courting. “I do not want to be restricted, but I think that maybe we could work out. If you wanted to...” Yuri hated that he was suddenly blushing. He hung his head, unable to look at Anton. 

He missed the absolutely the expression of shock on Anton’s face. 

“Yuri…” Anton’s tone was soft. The blonde glanced up hesitantly when the alpha leaned forward, gently capturing the blonde’s hand. “Yes, I would love to get to know you better. I would like to take it slow. So, focus on your skating okay? I am in no rush at all to mate. It was honestly not something I never planned to do.” It felt right to Anton to say. 

Yuri nodded, pulling his hand away to grip his drink, taking a gulp of it. “Good.” 

Maybe if he got his way, he could use Anton to ensure he would not be controlled by anyone else. 

\----

_Anton’s POV_

To say he was the worlds luckiest man would be an understatement. Anton believed he had messed things up permanently the last time they had meant at this café. But here Yuri was, drinking a sweet drink. In fact, the sweet omega had asked for this meeting. 

The dancer felt bad telling Yuri he would be busy with practice. If it was up to the alpha, he would be spending every moment with the omega, making sure that no one else touched him. 

However, Yuri was so young and innocent. Bonding him at this age would be a mistake. Befriending the omega would not. Anton would protect the innocent omega from the horrors of the world. He would do it the right way too, without holding secrets. 

Yuri spoke, ending the awkward silence between them. “If you have extra tickets to the ballet, I would go.” There was the ghost of a scowl on the omega’s face as he spoke. 

Anton’s eyes lit up. “Of course! I will speak with Lilia. I am sure that she would be proud of you for showing interest.” He choose to stay away from any topics related to secondary genders out of respect for Yuri. 

“Let me know.” Yuri muttered, looking down at his drink again. 

Anton’s drink had arrived a while ago. The waitress now brought the other treat he had purchased for Yuri. It was a slice of strawberry cake. Anton thought Yuri may like it. He also knew the omega most likely had skipped lunch to meet the dancer here. Yuri stared at the cake when it was set in front of him before glancing to Anton. 

“You’re sharing this with me.” Yuri demanded, pushing it between them but taking a small bite. It was cute to see the omega be pushy. 

“Of course.” He did not plan to eat any though. The sugar would be good for Yuri. He could tell the distraction of the food already had Yuri’s shoulders relaxing slowly. Pride filled the alpha slowly as he was taking care of the sweet omega in front of him. 

Yuri glanced up from the cake, his expression open still. After a moment, the blonde loaded the fork with cake and icing, shifting the fork to face Anton well holding it out. “Eat it.” The smallest blush captured Yuri’s cheeks and ears as Anton leaned forward, taking the food from the fork with his lips without taking the fork form Yuri. 

Anton’s eyes lit up at the sweet flavor, but more so at how his actions had embarrassed the younger male. “Thank you, Yuri.” He responded once he swallowed. 

The blonde gave a hesitant nod, refusing to look at Anton as he finished the rest of the treat. “I should be getting back to practice.” The blonde muttered softly. 

Anton nodded, reaching for his bag. “How about I walk you back? I’ve got some time before I have to go to the airport.” 

The alpha watched as the blonde’s eyes widened. “Wait, I thought you were not leaving for another week or so.” Had he confused the dates? 

“Oh, well, that was true until a few days ago. My grandmother fell and broke her hip. I am going to fly out to see her tonight, and will be back in a few days.” Anton shrugged, letting out a sigh. He did not want to fly out. This was one of the few times that he got time off, but it was life. At least now he would be able to talk to his grandmother about something other than work. 

It took a moment to realize that Yuri had stopped walking. “I hope she heals well.” 

Anton just smiled, watching as Yuri’s expression changed back to a scowl as he started walking again. The alpha stopped the smaller male before they could enter the building. “Take a selfie with me?” 

And the scowl he got was so adorable. Anton wrapped an arm around Yuri’s shoulder, grinning widely into the camera as he snapped a picture. The photo would make a wonderful background. 

He stiffened a bit as Yuri turned enough to give a side hug to the alpha. “See you.” The blonde muttered before practically running away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Another chapter! YAY!!! 
> 
> I've stalled a bit in writing this. I had an ending planned out mentally but I think it might change. That and I've been super tired recently. I think it might just be the cold weather and that I have not adjusted yet. So the next chapter may be a bit slower.. Maybe over a week. I apologize in advance, but I also wanted to give warning.


	10. What? A Lion Shifter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I hope that you all accept my sincerest apologies. The holidays left me massively burned out. The school started and I could not think of starting to write again for the past few weeks. For whatever reason, I really struggle to write at home. Hence, it took me forever to get this chapter out. It was actually a comment from one of the other pieces that prompted me to get working again. 
> 
> That being said, I have the outline to the end of this story completed. My plan is to work on it over the next week or so in small amounts so that I do not get burned out. 
> 
> Again, I am truly sorry its taken me this long to update this piece. Let me all know what you think! Thanks for sticking with me.

Why. 

Yuri laid on his bed. Hours had passed after the medal ceremony at Rostelecom Cup. He just couldn’t stop thinking. Not even music blasting through his headphones stopped the incessant stream of thoughts. 

He couldn’t risk sleeping pills either. Though legal, it was the last thing Yuri needed to have tested in his blood. 

\--- The day before ---

The blonde stared hard at Victor as he talked with Yuuri. He could feel anger rising in his stomach just at the sight of the other skater. Why Victor had run off to coach this failure was beyond him. 

“Yuri, concentrate.” Lilia reminded him, drawing him from his thoughts. It wouldn’t be long before he skated. 

This performance counted in so many ways. Though Yakov had attempted to hide it, the blonde knew that the International Skating Union was deliberating on making omegas participate in their own competition. If Yuri won here and the Grand Prix, the year of his debut, he felt it would convince the world that omegas truly were just as strong. 

The other reason the performance mattered was that Anton was in the stands. The blonde noticed the alpha almost instantly of stepping out onto the rink for warmup. Yuri had not given the alpha any special notice though, going through the motions of his usual warmup before returning to his coaches. 

As it came closer to his time to his short program, the blonde could only feel more anger. And frustration. The program Victor had put together, Agape, had flown out the window. Some of it was concern for his grandpa. The man had seemed well yesterday, but to not be able to make it tonight? The blonde refused to feel devastated. Nor did it help that Victor fawned so openly over his omega. Yuri felt now that they should just bond and get it over with already. 

He glared at his coaches as he stood on the ice. Yakov was saying something, but he’d pushed off without listening. He’d regretted it instantly. The blonde felt underprepared to skate emotionally. There was no turning back though. 

Still, the program went well if the standard was the score. It was exhausting. The shifter knew he had lost points due to his facial expression. At least Anton had been right about one thing; the hours of training had paid off. His body could flow through the steps from memory alone. The other plus was that the ice had helped calm him a bit. Skating for his home country successfully aided in restoring the blonde’s faith that he could do this. 

\--- present ---

“This sucks..” The blonde muttered too himself, throwing off his earphones and shifting into his panther form. He curled on the bed, hiding his nose beneath his long fluffy tail. It also blocked out the last of the lights of the room. It couldn’t block out his thoughts. 

Nothing seemed to stop him from thinking about the past few days. 

He could remember the embarrassment of watching Yuuri fall apart without Victor around. It made him realize that he missed the poodle. Months had passed since he’d gotten knocked over him and slobbered all over by the over-excited and loving dog. Though the request for Yakov to coach Yuuri? For a day?!? The Japanese omega had kept to his own world for practically the whole day. But his performance showed how much Victor had changed him. 

He also felt extremely confused as to why he cared how the other omega preformed. The snow-leopard chalked it up to the fact that the fact that they were both omegas. Even though his new suppressants muddled all his acquired senses. 

The snow leopard sighed, shifting before building a small nest with the pillows and blankets. Maybe he needed to feel a bit safer before being able to fall asleep. 

Oh god. He’d practically yelled encouragement during Yuuri’s performance. But the other had still gotten fourth. 

At least his could be blamed on not having his coach.

Even at his best, Yuri’s performance had not won him gold on home territory. Instead, it was another alpha. What else could Yuri change in his free-skate? He had sought out the other omega just to make sure he was okay, even though the blonde truly just wanted to sulk. Everything he’d done could not get him gold in Russia. How would be able to secure gold at the Grand Prix Final? Yakov had insisted he had everything under control. 

The snow leopard let off the smallest noise. 

In truth, the blonde never felt closer to giving up. How could he continue to fight when it was clear even at his best an alpha could easily capture gold? At this point, his secondary gender still had not made it to public knowledge yet. Though that was soon to change. His status was in public records. All some curious fan had to do was look.

With Anton interested, maybe he could force the alpha to give him a courting collar. That would keep other alphas away. Though it would be a last resort. If he was wrong about Anton, then Yuri could accidently chain himself to an alpha and be forced to leave the sport.

Little did he know as he fell asleep, his fans had searched the records. Trending alongside his silver place win was his secondary gender. 

\-----

The days between the Rostelecom Cup and the Grand Prix found the shifter stressing hard about his routine. If he was not skating or sleeping, the blonde was arguing with Yakov about changing the program. There was no possible way for the blonde to get a technical score as high as JJ’s. 

The shifter would never admit, but it was all due to the blowup on social media about his secondary gender. 

The other Russian skaters choose not to comment, though they had known for a while. 

However, the media couldn’t have been more irritating. Most wanted to know when the ‘Ice Tiger’ planned to reveal his secret. Or ask who he thought would make a great alpha! It made Yuri sick, and throw himself into training even harder. 

Yuri pushed Anton away hard during that time. It was not the right time to announce an interest in an alpha. Nor did Anton need to deal with the media when he had his own responsibilities and life to deal with. 

Every insecurity caused by his secondary gender had risen during the days between the competitions. Yuri could barely eat, sleeping in his snow leopard form to escape his sore muscles. It was deep sleeps he fell into each night. No nightmares found their way into his mind thankfully. Living through the day provided enough terror. He kept his hair often tied back, otherwise the urge to pull it or cut it away became too much. 

Many of his fans claimed that they had known of his secondary gender all along. That him growing his hair out to look more young and feminine had been a massive clue. It made him sick to realize that yes, growing his hair out fell in line with traditional omega roles. Yuri had stormed to Yakov when he saw this tidbit and demanded if that had been his plan all along. He forced himself to believe it wasn’t. 

Traveling to Spain was an escape in one form. 

At least it meant a place where he could hide more easily from his fans. 

He gave his fans some attention well Yakov checked it. It was better than having to check in himself. At least the ones that got close enough smartly chose not to ask him about his secondary gender. He let them take photos with him, though no smiles slipped across his lips. 

Though he slipped away from their clutches after that. 

He spent his first night in Spain stalking Anton’s social media. Before the blonde had left, the alpha had texted him his personal account information. Yuri added the alpha to his own personal ones. The alpha seemed to spend a ton of his time practicing on his phone. Most of his photos were of him either dancing, eating or working out (a.k.a. dancing more). The alpha was at least attractive. Though Yuri couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was more. He kept telling himself it was just stress. 

Yuri stretched when there was nothing interesting left on his phone. He spent over an hour immersed in yoga. It felt nice to be alone for so long. Yakov wouldn’t bother him after he slammed his hotel door in his coach’s face. He would have kept it up longer but after so many days of training so hard, the blonde knew better than to push too hard tonight. 

He fell asleep early.

\-----

The next day found him running from his fans. Without Yakov or anyone else around, Yuri felt no need to be nice to them. Keeping them away proved much harder than the shifter originally thought. It made him wish he’d chosen to keep himself locked away in his hotel room instead of venturing out to see what Barcelona had to offer. 

It was Otabek Atin that found him first. The skater from Kazakhstan. Apparently, someone who he’d trained with a child for a short period. 

Otabek had helped him run from his annoying fans. 

The alpha stood next to him after taking him to more private part of the city. Yuri felt himself relaxing for no reason other than it felt nice to have someone who had no expectations of him. The blonde leaned against the railings, looking out over the city. They’d been talking a bit. 

“You know, I’ve always looked up to you. You’re strong. It showed even as a kid. I remember thinking that your eyes reminded me of a soldier.” Otabek spoke the words seriously, watching the omega. 

A minute passed as the omega just stared at the alpha. No one had ever thought of him as a soldier. It had always been how delicate he looked well skating. This season itself was dedicated solely to skating with elements of a prima ballerina. His own fan group insisted that he was some sort of kitten. It was irritating. The blonde knew he was shorter and thinner compared to most in his age group and hated it. 

“Thanks.” He muttered honestly, not having anything harsh to say to that. Otabek saw in Yuri what he wished the world could. “Would you want to get some dinner? I’m not ready to head back.” 

In truth, he’d spent way to long running from his fans. He’d not eaten since breakfast. 

“Sure.” Otabek returned to his bike first, offering Yuri a helmet again. 

Why had the other alpha sought Yuri out? The blonde wasn’t sure. He grinned as he took the helmet though, smiling to the alpha. 

Hanging out with a fellow skater was so different than hanging out with Anton. His heart pounded as they sped off, but the blonde enjoyed the rush. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around Otabek’s solid frame.

Dinner slipped by too fast. The blonde loved talking with Otabek, finding out many things about the Kazakhstan skater that was previously unknown. The first was that Otabek was a shifter. A lion shifter. Yuri knew sooner rather than later he would beg Otabek to shift. The alpha seemed pleased to hear that the blonde was a snow leopard. Both cat forms were uncommon.

Otabek also offered his phone number. “In case you are ever wanted to talk after the competitions. Even just over the stupidity of the whole society ranking.” His tone was soft. 

Previously, the blonde shifter thought that basically all alphas thought omegas where weak. Yuri just couldn’t believe this other male skater thought the same as he did. The same as Anton did. Maybe the world was much more different than the blonde understood.


	11. The Department of Omegan Welfare

Somehow, the gold medal of the Grand Prix did not seem to be real. Yuri placed it on his nightstand as he often picked it up even though days had passed since returning from Barcelona. 

Yakov gave him a few days off, though for the time being he could continue to stay with his coach. The old home had become a safe haven for the young omega. Plus, his parents, though sending him a warm congratulation gift including money for new skates, were not interest in having him back home. Yuri’s grandfather called multiple times in excitement since his win. It seemed he knew exactly when the teen was struggling and what words would calm him. 

What the blonde did not expect was the flood of interview requests from all the major news networks. Yakov had let Yuri know, but then informed the omega that every single one would be declined. 

As his coach stated, “every single one of the interviews is going to turn into you being grilled about when you plan on quitting the sport and settling with an alpha. They are going to ask whom you are considering, how many requests you’ve gotten, how you handle your heats when training and a whole host of other things. I do not want you lying on national TV, nor do you need that stress of those sharks.” 

So, it turned out that the only comment Yuri could make was what he’d spoken to the reporters at the Grand Prix himself. Which was not much besides, “Katsuki Yuuri still has to win gold before he can retire.” 

In truth, having another strong omega competing in the senior men’s division would keep discussions of having the sport switch to an alpha/beta circuit and omega only division. Yuuri knew the competitions would become a joke if the switch was allowed. He’d continue to prove to everyone that omegas were just as strong, if not stronger, than the cocky alphas. 

“Yuri, you have a letter from the Department of Omegan Welfare.” Yakov knocked on the omega’s door before opening it. In his hand was an envelope. 

The blonde stood form the bed to take the letter. It was odd, was he knew all his forms were in order. It wasn’t opened it. 

“Why would they send me something?” Yuri muttered, frowning. He stood near the doorway even as his coach shrugged and walked away. 

“If its urgent, I’ll be in my office.” Yakov said, retreating. 

Yuuri ripped into the letter, ignoring the official seal. He unfolded the papers, studying the words.

_Dear Mr. Yuri Plisetsky,_

_The Department of Omegan Welfare would like to officially congratulate you on the impressive gold medal finish at the Grand Prix. The Prime Minister even noted your performance was stunning. An omega with your abilities should be protected. To ensure your health, we are assigning you a special advocate from our program, who will begin weekly checkups on your health and mental stability. Your coach, Yakov, will be receiving his contact information soon, along with your first checkup information._

_We would also like to remind you of the services you have available for free at any of our facilities. We care deeply about your welfare, and are concerned about the effects of such a stressful career may cause you. Omegas are a gift to the world and should be treated as such. Your new advocate will gladly explain any questions you may have as well as recommend treatment options. Remember, our facilities offer both short-term and long-term stays for omegas in tough situations._

_At our facilities, we provide a wide range of services to aid our omegas. The treatments are monitored by licensed betas and alphas. Each treatment plan is personalized to the omega and their own issues. Treatments offered include touch-therapy, sense-therapy, temporary bonding’s, medications, and new career development classes. We also have a full maternity ward to aid omegas who are unsure of the changes their pregnancy can cause or whom do not want to be alone during the day. This is not a comprehensive list, but merely a list of treatments which are often beneficial to all omegas._

_If you feel at all overwhelmed and cannot wait a week for your advocate to reach out to you, please feel free to call the number listed below. A welfare provider is available at any time to take your call and assess your situation. The provider can even work at having you brought to the facility until a more appropriate housing situation can be found for you._

_Best,_

_The Department of Omegan Welfare._

Pure fear filled Yuri. He had heard of these letters before, but never thought he would ever be on the receiving end. It was a threat. To him. It meant that the government was watching him closely and would step in if they thought he was acting against the government wishes. 

These facilities were places omegas disappeared too for years, only resurfacing to announce another child birth. Yuri heard before that most of these ‘therapy’ treatments where brainwashing omegas to act like human pets. Medications used on omegas that misbehaved or fought back. 

The supposed health advocate would find the heat suppressant implant and ordered it removed sooner rather than later. The Department saw such things as harmful to an omegas welfare. 

This could not be happening. 

Yuri fumbled blindly with his phone. Mindlessly, he punched the numbers before holding the device up to his ear. 

It rang three times before being picked up. “Yuri! How are you, sweetheart?” Anton was panting slightly, as if he’d been working out. 

“I..” 

What could he say?

“Anton..” 

The words kept getting stuck.

“It’s..” 

His throat was closing up. 

“Oh god, they’re going to take me.” He finally whimpered out, the letter crumpling as he reached up to push his hair from his eyes. 

Where these tears his? When had he started crying? 

“Shhh…” Anton murmured softly. There was rustling on the other side of the line. “Whatever it is, I bet we can figure it out. You stay at Yakov’s place, right? I’ll be over shortly.” Yuri couldn’t speak, just letting out a chocked sob. 

“Can you go find Yakov? I’m sure he would sit with you.” Anton offered, but the thought of seeing his coach made Yuri shake harder. 

Had the older man already get information about this health advocate? Yuri shook his head, feeling angry at how upset he was. 

“I.. I can’t…” Yuri muttered. 

Anton just hummed into the phone. “Then lay down, kitten. Get that sweatshirt of mine and cuddle it.” The pet names helped calm the blonde slightly. 

He did as Anton asked, curling on his bed with the sweatshirt. The tears wouldn’t stop though, no matter how hard he closed his eyes. 

It truly felt like hours before Yuri felt a hand run gently through his messy blonde locks. 

“Kitten,” Anton was crouching next to the bed, looking concern. “It’s alright.” He spoke softly, gathering Yuri into his arms well sitting on the bed. Anton rubbed Yuri’s back gently, keeping the young man curled into his body. 

Yuri could not help but grip Anton’s shirt. It felt so nice to be wrapped in a familiar scent. The tears still streamed down his face. “No, it’s not. They are threating to take me away, force me to stop skating.” 

Anton arched his eyebrow, slowly picking up the discarded letter. “This?” He glanced it over, appearing unconcerned. “I get these all the time. Occasionally even with omega’s profiles and pictures. It’s just propaganda.”

Yuri closed his eyes as Anton gripped the back of his neck, rubbing at the tension there. It didn’t feel like just propaganda to him though. He couldn’t stop the trembling in his muscles. 

“But, the health advocate. All it would take is my implant being uncovered.” Yuri could not panic that much when Anton was holding him so tightly. Even though the implant calmed his senses, Yuri was weak to Anton’s steady touches. 

“It’s not a problem, kitten. I promise. Shhh.. Just calm down, okay? We’ll talk about this when you are calmer.” Anton muttered, shifting the smaller male in his lap to curl Yuri up even just a little more. 

Anton had easily put Yuri in the most effective calming position. The alpha kept his hand firmly covering the back of the omega’s neck, also keeping Yuri’s head tucked beneath Anton’s chin. They stayed like that for a while, until Yuri was almost asleep due to the warmth of the alpha. 

He whined softly when Anton finally shifted them, starting to lightly stroke the knots out of the blonde’s long hair. It pulled a soft chuckle from Anton, whom Yuri sent a slight glare too. 

“There you are.” Anton whispered. Yuri stared into the alpha’s eyes for a moment before looking away. The blonde couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, knowing his face was probably stained from the tears. 

“Shut up. Lemme go wash my face.” Yuri pushed out of Anton’s grip, retreating to his bathroom for a moment. 

One glance in the mirror revealed that Yuri looked just about how he felt. Crying left his around his eyes horribly red; his eyes terribly bloodshot. His hair was tangled and fluffy. Red stained his cheeks as well. 

With haste, Yuri brushed out his blonde locks. They fell just above his shoulders. He captured his hai in a hairband before leaning down and allowed hot water to soothe his irritated eyes and nose. Finally, the blonde brushed his teeth. The routine helped him feel slightly less shaky. Still, he returned to Anton’s lap once done. 

The alpha himself appeared to have read over the contract once more. Yuri huffed as Anton tugged out the elastic band as soon as Yuri curled back into his chest. 

“This honestly doesn’t feel like a joke. I’m sure you have heard the stories as well.” Yuri muttered, hesitantly capturing Anton’s hand within his own. 

Anton hummed, squeezing Yuri’s hand gently. “I’ve seen some of the ballet dancers get these. Lilia often helps them. All it takes to get the health advocate off your case is a contract with an alpha.” 

“A contract?!” Yuri exploded. He pushed back to stare Anton in the eyes, who just grinning. 

“Oh don’t act so surprised. Maybe you never payed attention in class, but there are multiple types besides just bonding.” The alpha sighed, though Yuri could tell he was enjoying himself. “You are way too young to be bonded, despite what the government thinks. So, most alphas scope out potential mates young but have the omegas sign purity contracts. The basic jest is that the omega promises to stay pure until a certain age, most often 21. Often, the contract insists the omega continues life as normal with his family until the stated age. Then the alpha whom the omega signs with is the first bonding contract the omega will seriously review at that age.” 

Well, no one could blame Yuri for being a terrible student. It was easy to slack off in his coursework in favor of training. Plus, it was too easy to bully his rink mate Georgi into completing his own assignments. 

“Okay.” Yuri muttered, thinking it over. “But, I don’t just have alphas laying around at my disposal.” 

The blonde allowed Anton to pull him back into a cuddle. “Well, maybe you do. The department is starting to get antsy that I do not have any contracts. Honestly, I am not interested in bonding an omega. I like dancing, and I like fooling around with other betas and alphas. I guess I am still just waiting for the right omega, but I haven’t found it. If I signed a contract with you, on the terms that we would re-evaluate when you are 22, that gives us both six years of peacefulness.”

Yuri frowned. “You can’t be serious.” It was way too simple, but it was Anton who was sacrificing more. 

“I am serious. Yuri, you are sweet and adorable, but so young. I think of you like my kid brother and just want to protect you.” Anton was rubbing Yuri’s back gently. “I can break the contract any time too. Purity contracts are broken often by alphas who find better omegas. Some of the top alphas have multiple contracts at one time to see which omega grows up the best.” 

Yuri just shook his head. “Anton..” Why was it so hard to just say yes? 

Anton laughed. “Look, I realize you are going to meet other alphas whom you may like better. In fact, I hope you do. I just hate getting calls that sound like your dying. If I can take away your stress so you can keep winning gold in a sport you love, I don’t see why not.” 

Yuri just shook his head. “Fine. I’ll talk to Yakov about this.” He frowned. “My parents just transferred over permanent custody to him anyways, so you’ll need his permission.” 

Anton just nodded. “Yes yes. You know I could write into the contract that you can’t cut your hair?” 

Yuri spluttered, looking to the alpha with wide eyes. “You wouldn’t.” 

“Maybe I will. I’m sure Yakov wouldn’t mind.” Anton teased back. 

Just like that, Anton got Yuri’s attention off the letter. The next few hours Yuri spent chatting with Anton well playing video games. Though it was nice to take time off training, the omega couldn’t wait until his days were back filled with hours on the ice. Tomorrow, he would finalize his schedule for worlds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have half a mind to have their be one more chapter.. and the other half of me wants to add at least two more chapters. I think I am leaning a lot farther towards having Yuri get closer to Otabek, as well as working out this contract with Anton. Otherwise, I was just going to put in an epilogue but I feel like there is just a little more. So, I guess you guys now know what to look for! (as long as this message isn't too confusing.)
> 
> Thanks for sticking this out! Two chapters in TWO days! Every time I open this up in word, it takes a moment because its over 65 pages, 25K words. My longest fic ever. 
> 
> Let me know if there is anything you guys might like to see and it may just be included! Considering that I don't write the whole next chapter tonight..


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